TECHDIGEST – President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA to subject the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System, IPPIS and the two other proposed payment solutions proposed by University workers to integrity test.

This is as the Federal Government is making efforts towards ensuring that the Consiquential Adjustment/ minimum wage arrears are paid to the striking university workers this week in order to persuade them call off the ongoing strike.

Recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and the non teaching staff Joint Action Committee, JAC, comprising the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, have lamented that they were being shortchanged in their salary payment since the government introduced IPPIS as the official payment platform.

As an alternative, ASUU proposed to the government the University Transparency Accountability Solution, UTAS, while SSANU and NASU on their own, proposed the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System, U3PS.

SSANU and NASU claimed that the proposed U3PS accommodate the peculiarities in the Nigerian University system as it handles all employees’ financial records in a hassle-free, automated fashion.

The peculiarities include employees’ salaries, bonuses, deductions, net pay, generation of pay-advice and other financial reports using accounting best practices and also seek to essentially automate those micro administrative tasks performed by accountant general office and bursars of federal institutions, thereby giving the office the mental bandwidth to focus on the macro.

In a tripartite plus meeting attended by the leadership of the university-based unions including the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige and other relevant stakeholders, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, President Buhari directed NITDA to subject the three payment solutions to integrity test.

The Tripartite Plus meeting chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, gave NITDA three weeks to carry out the integrity test and report back the results.

A source at the meeting hinted that the Chief of Staff during the closed-door session pleaded with the university unions to go back to their duty posts while discussions will be ongoing to address all their concerns but the workers were adamant insisting that the strike would only be called off when the federal government honours agreement reached.

However, a source at the meeting told Vanguard that the Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige was mounting pressure to the relevant government agencies to ensure that some of the contentious issues are addressed as soon as possible.

The source said, “we rebuffed all the plea by the Chief of Staff for us to call off the strike. There was nothing on the table for us to do so. However, we heard that the Minister of Labour is making effort to ensure that the minimum wage arrears and the consequential adjustment are paid. We are waiting.

“We know that the Minister is trying his best to conciliate but after memorandum of understanding and memorandum of action are entered into, the government will fail to implement them and will turn back to blame the unions.”

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TECHDIGEST – Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that its members would not resume work until the federal government implements the lecturers’ preferred payment system known as the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

The union created UTAS as an alternative to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which the federal government uses to pay its workers in the public sector.

ASUU president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, in a strike bulletin he issued to universities yesterday, said the lies are aimed at sowing the seed of hatred against their patriotic struggle.

The union stressed that it will not take anything less than the acceptance of UTAS as a preferred and more suitable payment system in universities.

READ ALSO : ASUU Threatens To Withdraw NITDA Boss Degree Certificate

He said, “Recently, the agents of government are redoubling their efforts at misinforming, misleading and twisting facts relating to our struggle to the Nigerian public, particularly our students and their parents.

“Don’t believe them. It is aimed at dividing us and sowing the seed of hatred against our patriotic struggle.

“Last week, the leadership of our union met with the Federal Government Renegotiating Team. The meeting was not fruitful, as they were addressing platitudes rather than the core of the issues in contention.”

The ASUU president commended the National Strike Coordinating Committee (NSCC) for their continued support and dedication to saving the future of Nigerian education system.

“The national leadership of the union is appreciative of the support our struggle is getting from parents, students, JAF, Civil Society Organisations, NLC and indeed, the Nigerian people for their understanding and support.

“We have also met with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by Comrade Ayuba Wabba. NLC has offered to play a constructive role in addressing our demands with government and we await their further action(s).

“NSCC commends our branches through the various Zonal leadership, for the efforts made to address the falsehood by NITDA to rubbish UTAS.

“For the avoidance of doubt, UTAS scored 99.3 percent in the last round of testing carried out at the instance of government. Our Union will not take anything less than the acceptance of UTAS as a preferred and more suitable payment system in our universities.

“Professors, internal council members, deans, directors, HODs, all coordinators of programmes should resist any attempt to be used to undermine the struggle in any form. Branches are by this bulletin, urged to discourage frivolous request for waivers, as NSCC will not entertain such requests,” he said.

Source : thenigerianlawyer.com

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TECHDIGEST – The Transparency Advocacy for Development Initiative (TADI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to address the issues surrounding the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS).

In March, Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), had said UTAS — the union’s proposed payment solution — failed three integrity tests.

But ASUU had insisted that UTAS scored 85 and 77 percent, which it said are “high-class grades in any known evaluation”.

Also, the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) chapter of ASUU had criticised the NITDA DG over his comments on UTAS and threatened to withdraw his degree certificate.

Reacting to the development in a statement signed by Yomi David and Adeniran Taiwo, TADI executive director and director of public relations, respectively, the group urged ASUU to review the proposed software and make the necessary adjustments for excellent performance.

“It should be noted that NITDA has a constitutional right as the only agency with the mandate to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardisation, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of information technology practices, activities and systems in Nigeria,” the statement reads.

“In 2016, the agency issued Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline and furthermore, Section 10 of the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT, 2019 provides detailed guidelines and expectations for Indigenous Software Development and Software Enabled Products and Services.

“Therefore, the rule of law and due process should not be jettisoned in the bid to get better service solutions for our university system. The testimonial of competence of NITDA in discharging her vital constitutional role over the years speaks for itself with the level of NITDA’s commitment and professionalism exhibited in carrying out its responsibilities.

“Several other indigenous software solution patents have enjoyed the verification and certification process through these quality assurance guidelines as stipulated by NITDA.

READ ALSO : ASUU Threatens To Withdraw NITDA Boss Degree Certificate

“It should be noted that quality assurance testing of any product is done to ensure the delivery of a high-quality end product and assures that the product is glitch-free before it is released. In view of this, we found out that the agency had to carry out 3 out of the 8 tests specified in the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline.

“These tests are User Acceptance Test (UAT), Stress Test, and Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Test (VAPT) in which a total of 687 test cases were generated with which 529 passed, 156 failed and 2 cautionary warnings were the outcome. However, this alone reveals that, for a payment solution platform which should be near 100% in default, has several loopholes of high risk vulnerabilities and informational risks that were identified.”

The group added that ASUU as an organisation is known to comprise personalities of high academic excellence and standards, and as such, the union should seek to embrace diligence in all its actions.

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TECHDIGEST – A youth led coalition of civil society group, the Youth and Civil Society Coalition for Development (YCSCD) has cautioned the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)over it’s threat to withdraw degree certificate of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)’s Boss, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.

In a statement signed by it’s National President, Comrade Aminu Aminu which was made available to newsmen, the group said ASUU was threatening the DG for simply discharging his statutory duties.

READ ALSO : ASUU Threatens To Withdraw NITDA Boss Degree Certificate

According to YCSCD, even although the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has developed its parallel payment platform to the nationally accepted Integrated Payroll and Personel Information System (IPPIS) the University’s Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), it should be humbled to accept in good faith NITDA’s constructive criticism and collaborate with the agency to make the platform more effective and enable it stand the test of time and world dynamics.

“ASUU cannot claim ignorance of the fact that, NITDA has acted on the mandates bestowed on it by its establishing act which requires it to create a framework for the planning, research,development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology practices in Nigeria,” the group argued.

It said far from ASUU’s claim that NITDA is working to frustrate the operability of its newly developed payment platform UTAS, it is not news to enlightened Nigerians that NITDA has over the years issued several regulatory instruments which include software testing and quality assurance framework as well as guidelines for the design,development and testing of software projects in the country.

“On this note, it is counterproductive for an academic Bloc like ASUU to resort to threat instead of finding a workable solution to address the issues raised by NITDA’s integrity test results on UTAS

“ASUU’S reaction to the professorial title awarded to the minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, by the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), and the present one trailing the UTAS’ failure to meet the NITDA’S vulnerability test, user acceptance test and stress load test leading to the issuance of threat to withdraw Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi’s degree certificate by the ATBU branch of the ASUU, could amount to witch-hunting of its own successful products as both are alumni’s of the University.

YCSCD called on ASUU to channel the same energy it is using to issues degree withdrawal threats, to explore workable solutions bedevilleing the country especially the lingering insecurity, youth restiveness and ongoing strike action.

It vowed that no amount of threat can deter the DG NITDA from doing the right thing as far as the discharge of his mandate is concerned.

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TECHDIGEST  – The Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR) says it is alarmed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Chapter’s move to withdraw the Degree Certificate of Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.

This according to NADIR, is simply because Kashifu is discharging his duties as Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The group, through its Publicity Secretary, Bello Shehu, described the threat of the ATBU ASUU as ‘laughable and ill-advised’.

NADIR, made this known in a statement titled, “ASUU and Its Empty Threats Against NITDA’s DG”.

The “withdrawal” of Kashifu’s certificate was been considered by ATBU ASUU after the NITDA boss’ submission that “the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), has failed integrity test, vulnerability test (security integrity), User Acceptance Test and stress load test, as well as the hardware requirements,” PRNigeria learnt.

READ ALSO: ASUU Threatens To Withdraw NITDA Boss Degree Certificate

But in the statement released by Shehu, NADIR noted that it is a total disregard for common sense that ASUU, who should know better, will throw caution to the wind, and make a fundamental blunder that seeks to portray it as a sole authority in conferring or retracting degree awards, rather than limiting itself to its scope of protecting and furthering the rights of University workers.

“By this goof, we can only conclude that ASUU is not childishly arrogant but confused as usual,” it said.

According to the statement obtained by PRNigeria, NADIR, further explained that, “as bizarre and empty as the threat sounds, it is shocking that in a desperate bid to blackmail a public official into lowering the bars of his official mandate and succumbing to its selfish inclinations, ASUU, a supposed union of university academic staff have resorted to using cheap blackmail and hallow threats that have no real value, worth, or effectiveness in order to hound it’s prey.”

Part of the statement reads: “After unsuccessfully hounding the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Professor Isah Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the union has now turned to his prodigy, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, thereby successfully establishing that it is not only out against this two individuals, but against Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.

“We are not sure to what extent ASUU is willing to bare its fangs as a clog in the wheels of Nigeria’s progress but before it self destruct ASUU needs to answer some fundamental questions as follows:

“Has the union now usurped the mandate of University’s Senate in awarding degree certificates?

“Is there a legally recognised marriage of convenience between labour unionism and award of degree certificates in ATBU?

“Isn’t ASUU overstepping it’s boundaries and arrogating to itself an authority outside its jurisdiction?

“Isn’t ASUU deducing itself to mere community of jokers with irresponsible activists?

“Beyond the NUC regulations, each university self-regulates its academic programmes through the power vested in its senate. Precedents have severally shown that only the University’s Senate has the powers to do what ASUU is ignorantly threatening to do.

“…From the foregoing, despite its meddlesome and unbecoming attitude, ASUU is a non entity in the scheme of things.

“NITDA on the other hand acted within its establishing act which mandates it to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology (IT) practices in Nigeria.

“The Agency has, over the years, issued series of regulatory instruments including the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline, issued in 2016. This regulatory instrument, currently being reviewed, provides guidelines for the design, development and testing of software projects in Nigeria.

“Despite this glaring facts, to say that the network is shocked that ASUU would use the instrumentalities of empty threat and dirty fight to harass a public official for carrying out his duty is to say the least.”

According to NADIR, if Institutions can threaten their products for standing up for what is right in line with the discharge of their duties and get away with it, then excellence and sterling track record is endangered.

“By the way, why is ASUU ATBU chapter notoriously attacking some of their graduates in top public offices from Minister of Communication, Isa Pantami to now DG NITDA Kashifu Inuwa?

“Nonetheless, ASUU should be careful not to render itself as a collection of numerous hunting breeds whose barking is only a characteristics of its diminished integrity,” the group warned.

By PRNigeria

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TECHDIGEST – I remember vividly how I was recruited into Setraco Construction Company at Igobiri-Toru-Ebeni project in Bayelsa State as a young and fresh Geology graduate coming from school. I had this notion that being a graduate, every other person who was not one was to bow and take orders from me.

It didn’t take long when I figured out that my school degree was merely an advantage but that the world of experience was an entirely different one that required me to be low headed to learn.

READ ALSO : ASUU Threatens To Withdraw NITDA Boss Degree Certificate

Consequently, I found myself being humble to Mr Samuel who was a secondary school leaver but had put in over 20 years of experience in the firm’s laboratory.

The practical analysis and laboratory skills he had on construction materials was enough to humble me into accepting my rightful place as a Laboratory Technician way under him and others who possessed much more experience than I did.

I humbled myself and learnt enough from these individuals perhaps at a faster rate than someone who’s not a university graduate would require. The rest is history today.

I brought the above narrative to explain why I feel ASUU went overboard by intending to withdraw the academic certificate of Kashifu Inuwa over the performance of his statutory responsibility and one that is systemic at that.

ASUU is made up of all cadres of lecturers ranging from Professors to Graduate Assistants but in all honesty that is not enough to guarantee that they possess enough practical experience to insist on the efficacy of their own developed ICT Application which aimed to aid the payment of their remunerations.

NITDA as an agency is statutorily established to aid the government in the area of developing the ICT sector. One would also understand the popular notion that everything goes in Nigeria and where it goes wrong along the line, tongues go wagging, blames are shared, monies are lost and a repeat of the mistake is made again.

We are a people that have been used to producing half-baked solutions to issues just to pass over situations. Unfortunately, the current NITDA DG feels otherwise, he feels the mentality to work has to change in such a way that the organization has been rejuvenated into a result driven one.

Little wonder why he has worked to earn the confidence of the Federal Government into believing the judgement of the Agency in the UTAS matter was going to be an objective one that would guarantee a long term operability.

However, while the young man is genuinely patriotic at trying to ensure the workability of the Agency he has been saddled to superintend over, he equally has to deal with the nature of the country’s people that hardly appreciate genuine efforts.

This is a country that prefers hypocrisy and mediocrity and I do not envy anyone who attempts to put in those kinds of critical patriotic efforts. Even president Muhammadu Buhari who has given so much had to relax at some point and agreed that Nigerians were hilarious people.

The issue around UTAS was purely a technical one that may not necessarily be understood when looked at strictly from the books point of view.

NITDA boasts of staffs that have years and tonnes of experience over practical matters that relate to UTAS and many others alike or bigger. They understand practical challenges that could result from the handling of big data; they understand the resource constraint that could result from a long term point of view.

Was ASUU expecting NITDA to simply approve a solution that has truly not ticked all the boxes it was supposed just so ASUU would clap and probably sheath their arm-twisting like press releases?

We do appreciate our lecturers who have worked hard to ensure we obtain the appropriate essays needed to understand the rudiments of the various courses we read.

However, we equally appreciate the tons of informal experiences we obtained from everyday life at the various universities. Overall, we mostly appreciate the practical experiences we have obtained as well as the advanced additional qualifications we have obtained.

ASUU could leverage the various experiences at NITDA and forge a partnership that could afford them the needed expertise that could develop a workable application that could solve the remuneration debacle of ASUU amongst others.

Hashim Suleiman writes from Abuja. He tweets via oneheartnaija@yahoo.com

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TECHDIGEST – The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Branch, has threatened to initiate the process of withdrawing the degree certificate of the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, as an alumnus of the university.

This withdrawal, the union said, was been considered after Inuwa’s submission that “the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, had failed integrity test, vulnerability test (security integrity), User Acceptance Test and stress load test, as well as the hardware requirements.”

The union described his submission, which it claimed, was made on March 9th, 2022, after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the prompting of his boss the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as an “unguarded statement”.

In a press release, on Thursday, titled: UTAS AND NITDA’S LIES, which was read to journalists by the ASUU ATBU Branch Chairperson, Ibrahim Inuwa, the union advised the NITDA boss to retrace his steps to the path of truth and academic excellence.

READ ALSO : Finally, NITDA Reacts to ASUU Over UTAS Platform

Failure to align with academic excellence and the path of truth for which the university had awarded him a degree, the union said, it will be left with no option than to carry out its threats.

According to the union, we are not surprised at the calculated attempt by agents of government particularly the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy and DG, NITDA to kill UTAS.

The statement read in part, “They both have demonstrated severe nationalism deficiency syndrome in their dealings and handling of critical issues as it concerns their offices and positions in government, revealing how ill-equipped they are with the current status of public Universities in Nigeria.

“The Union views the comments of the DG NITDA as highly misleading, unwarranted and totally unacceptable, it is a deliberate act to frustrate the deployment of UTAS. We observe that at the time the DG NITDA was making such statements (i.e on the 9th March 2022), he was aware of a joint test of the UTAS application by the ASUU Technical Team and NITDA to iron out discrepancies in the initial NITDA report.

“The current test was arranged at a meeting involving NITDA, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy. To put the record straight, we are obliged to enlighten the public that UTAS was applauded and received positive commendations at different levels of government during its presentation to the leadership of the National Assembly, Joint Committee of NITDA, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Vice-Chancellors and Bursars of Federal Universities (end users), to say the least, UTAS has gone through seven different presentations, reports from the previous test by NITDA scored UTAS 85% in User Acceptance Test.

“ASUU, therefore, wonders why agents of government are insisting on an IPPIS in spite of its obvious weaknesses, maybe this will allow them to continue to steal public funds. We will therefore no longer tolerate the delay tactics of NITDA Technical Team and their collaborators for the endless test on UTAS,” it warned.

“ASUU ATBU Bauchi is particularly sad that both the Minister of Communications Isa Ali Pantami and DG, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa are products of our prestigious University, known for its high standards of learning and discipline.

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy should be able to separate his official responsibility from his personal interest. It is our hope that there is no attempt by the Minister and his agents to frustrate UTAS due to ASUUS’ principled stand on the failure of his appointment as a Professor by Federal University of Technology Owerri to satisfy the laid down rules and regulations governing such appointments of the University.

“The DG of NITDA is requested to retrace his steps to the path of truth and academic excellence for which the University had awarded him a degree, failure of which the Union will be left with no option but to initiates the process of withdrawal of his degree certificate as an alumnus of ATBU, Bauchi.”

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TECHDIGEST  – The attention of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has been drawn to series of media statements about NITDA’s role on the assessment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). It is imperative therefore that the Agency puts the records straight for the interest of stakeholders and the general public.

It may be recalled that the Act establishing NITDA mandates it to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology (IT) practices in Nigeria. The Agency has, over the years, issued series of regulatory instruments including the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline, issued in 2016. This regulatory instrument, currently being reviewed, provides guidelines for the design, development and testing of software projects in Nigeria. Furthermore, Section 10 of the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT, 2019 provided detailed guidelines and expectations for Indigenous Software Development and Software Enabled Products and Services.

In line with its mandate, the Agency has been registering indigenous software solutions. Part of the registration process requires that solutions are subjected to tests in line with the requirements of the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline and the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT.

It is common knowledge that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been engaging the Federal Government on a number of issues including payment of promotion arrears, earned academic allowance, funding for revitalisation of public Universities, and adoption of UTAS as payment platform for universities. On the 14th October, 2020, NITDA was invited to participate in an interactive session between ASUU, Federal Government and the Legislature. The session, held at the Conference Hall of Accountant General of the Federation’s office, was to avail ASUU the opportunity to demonstrate the UTAS platform.

As part of the conditions for acceptance of UTAS as payment platform for public universities by Federal Government, NITDA was directed to subject the platform to Integrity Test and advise Government appropriately. In doing so, the Agency decided to carry out 3 out of the 8 tests specified in the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline. These tests are:

1.   User Acceptance Test (UAT);
2.   Stress Test; and
3.   Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Test (VAPT).

As part of the process, NITDA held its first meeting with ASUU on the 22nd October, 2020 and discussions centred on the modalities of the assessment. Furthermore, documents necessary for effective planning and execution of the tests were requested. As critical stakeholders to the implementation and deployment of the Solution, both the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation were also engaged. The main aim of this engagement was to obtain software requirements from their perspective.

Upon receipt of the documents from ASUU as well as access details of the UTAS platform in January, 2021, the Agency’s team carried out basic Functionality/User Acceptance Test on the platform. As NUC conducted UAT, NITDA felt it can use the report produced by NUC for its report. However, upon review, it was observed that the Solution was demonstrated to the Principal Officers in a similar way it was demonstrated at the Accountant General’s Office.  The Agency decided that further UAT be carried out with actual end-users from the University System. As a result, arrangements were made and 46 staff members from 28 Federal Universities, mainly from Vice Chancellor’s Office, Human Resources, Accounts and Bursary participated in the UAT, held at NUC, on the 10th August, 2021.

Although the UAT was carried out as planned, challenges were encountered that negatively impacted on the outcome of the assessment. For instance, although the invitation emphasised the need for prospective participants to come with ICT tools for the exercise, very few of the participants had these tools. This resulted into grouping the participants and very limited hands-on interaction with the Solution was possible. Furthermore, there was limited connectivity thereby making it difficult for the participants with the relevant tools to follow the demonstration by ASUU. These issues were adequately reported to key stakeholders.

The Agency’s team also carried out series of Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Tests on the UTAS platform.

One of these assessments revealed five (5) High Risk vulnerabilities that are likely to negatively impact on the platform if exploited. Furthermore, two (2) Low Risk vulnerabilities were identified. These were discussed with the ASUU team and a further assessment carried out on the updated version of the Solution revealed that the High Risk Vulnerabilities have been addressed. However, one (1) Medium Risk, three (3) Low Risks and forty four (44) Informational Risks were identified. These also, were adequately communicated to the relevant stakeholders including ASUU.

A detailed Functionality/User Acceptance Test on the platform was carried out by our team. A total of 687 test cases were generated in which 529 passed, 156 failed and 2 cautionary warnings. As some of the failed cases are critical to the overall functionality of the Solution, the Agency could not recommend for the solution to be deployed in production environment. ASUU was therefore requested to work on the Solution and submit it for further assessment. Furthermore, a comprehensive report outlining all the tests carried out and issues identified was submitted to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy on the 3rd December, 2021. This was in turn submitted to the chief conciliator, the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment as well as other stakeholders in ASUU.

During the conciliation meeting held at the instance of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment on Tuesday, 22nd February, 2022, it resolved that NITDA works with ASUU and subject UTAS to re-assessment. Furthermore, it was resolved that key members of the conciliation team be in attendance during the Technical Team’s sessions as observers.

It may interest the Agency’s stakeholders to know that NITDA, as a responsible Agency of Government, made all arrangements to ensure that the exercise was carried out successfully. The interaction commenced on the 8th March, 2022 with discussion on the methodology to be used as specified in the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline. Upon reaching agreement and starting the actual test on the Solution, a critical error occurred and the test could not continue.  As a result, the interaction had to be postponed to enable the ASUU Team rectify the issue.

Considering the challenge encountered, the assessment methodology had to be reviewed to facilitate daily remediation of critical issues as they occur. This, although not in NITDA’s Standard Operating Procedure for exercises such as this, was adopted. Consideration was made to the national importance attached to the exercise as well as the need to complete it in a reasonably shorter period of time.

It is important to note that despite making all efforts to fast-track the exercise, it took the team two weeks of continuous interaction on a daily basis. There is no doubt that the exercise has positively impacted on the functionality and robustness of the UTAS platform. Furthermore, we believe that the interaction availed ASUU the opportunity to understand and appreciate NITDA’s commitment and level of professionalism exhibited in carrying out its responsibilities.

The attention of stakeholders and the general public is drawn to the need for the UTAS platform to be sufficiently robust with key functionalities implemented before being deployed to the production environment. However, the assessment revealed that the Solution, as it is currently implemented, is limited. There are critical functionalities that have to be implemented, tested and passed before the Solution can considered to meet NITDA’s due diligence requirements. These areas of improvement have been fully documented and shared with the ASUU team for necessary action. It is expected that ASUU will improve on the areas identified, work on the security issues flagged and resubmit the Solution for further assessment.

The Agency wishes to use this opportunity to assure stakeholders and the general public of its commitment to its mandate and the vision of proactively facilitating the development of Nigeria into a sustainable digital economy by creating an enabling environment where Nigerians develop, adopt and derive value from digital technology.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is the apex regulator for Information Technology in Nigeria under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy. NITDA was established in April 2001 to coordinate general IT development and regulation in the country. Specifically, Section 6(a & c) of the Act establishing the Agency mandates it to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology practices, activities and systems in Nigeria; develop guidelines for electronic governance and monitor the use of electronic data interchange and other forms of electronic communication transactions as an alternative to paper-based methods in government, commerce, education, the private and public sectors, labour, and other fields, where the use of electronic communication may improve the exchange of data and information.
Signed:

Mrs Hadiza Umar, MNIPR, M.APRA, MCIPR
Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations
Corporate Headquarters, Garki, Abuja
Website: www.nitda.gov.ng, e-mail: info@nitda.gov.ng

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TECHDIGEST  – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has extended the 1 month warning strike to additional two months making a total of three months.

With the latest development, a whole quarter of a year, the lecturers would not work but would receive their monthly salaries and allowances while demoralized Nigerian students will remain idle and away from academic activities.

It is sad and irrational that at this point of economic meltdown, insecurity and educational challenges, students are at the receiving end of the fight between ASUU and the federal government.

We often blame political leaders for being self-centredness, lecturers too who are now becoming activists than scholars are not different with their nonchalant attitudes in regards to the plights of Nigerian students, especially the youths who are leaders of tomorrow.

ALSO READ : UTAS: ASUU’s Payment App Failed Integrity Test – NITDA

What is even more disturbing is needless controversy over payment platforms to be used for the lecturers.

The ASUU has demanded that the federal government should adopt the Universities Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) payment platform in place of the popular Integrated Personnel and Payments Information System (IPPIS).

IPPIS is a federal government-controlled platform which is being used by the federal government for its workers including those in the military, security and intelligence services. The platform combines and harmonizes the payments of federal employees’ salaries and wages directly into their bank accounts with the appropriate deductions and remittances of third-party payments.

The director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa recently disclosed that UTAS) failed three integrity tests.

According to him, the tests were meant to qualify UTAS — which was brought forward by ASUU to IPPIS.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14, and part of the reasons for the industrial action is that the federal government has refused to accept UTAS as a payment platform to replace the IPPIS.

Speaking on the matter, Inuwa said ASUU is currently reviewing the system.

NITDA boss said building a complex system like UTAS that involves employees’ personal data, and also payment system, must be subjected to best practice tests before approving.

He added that NITDA conducted a user acceptance test, a vulnerability test to check for possibility of hacking, and a stress test to prevent the system from crashing.

“We did all these three tests with them and the system couldn’t pass. We wrote the reports and submitted it back to the honourable minister, which he forwarded to all relevant institutions, including ASUU. As we speak now, ASUU is working, trying to fix all the issues we highlighted with the system and we will review it again. But that is just one half of the story,” he said.

Reacting to the development, ASUU president, Emmanuel Osodeke, denied alleged failure of the integrity test on UTAS. He said integrity test was carried out by NITDA on August 10, 2021 in NUC where relevant government agencies and all the end-users in the university system were present.

“At the end of the exercise, all, without exception, expressed satisfaction with UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our universities. This was attested to by the report coming from NITDA then to the effect that UTAS scored 85 per cent in User Acceptance Test (UAT),” he said.

According to him, in a curious twist of submission, the NITDA technical team, after conducting a comprehensive functionality test came out to say that out of 687 test cases, 529 cases were satisfactory, 156 cases queried and 2 cases cautioned.

He added that taking this report on its face value, the percentage score was 77 per cent.

I was a bit curious by the simplistic argument of ASUU President, an academic professor who insisted that 77 per cent in any known fair evaluation system cannot be categorized as failure. Really?

Technology advancement, especially that has to do with lives, finances by be 100% accurate. Can a perfect car for instance with Air Conditions, Electronic gadgets including Television, computers can operate with a small to operate the union?

Well, that is by the side. The fact is that over 700 MDAs have registration on IPPIS platform, including research institutions who do go on sabbatical, study and leaves do obtain with their allowances paid in due process. Not to forget that the National Executive Councils is as well part of the payment roll.

Even as it is known that not academics agree with the adoption of the UTAS payment platform to replace IPPIS, the precarious brawl between ASUU and FG has negatively affected students who are the leaders of tomorrow.

With the recent huge national depth, it is doubtful if the federal government could approve enormous amount of money ASUU demand in honor of their last in 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA).

I pray and hope the government and ASUU will come up with a common ground to end this strike and enable the students return to school, because as much as the students are tired, the parents too will continue bear the monetary consequence of the battle of the two elephants.

Zeenat O. Sambo, Citec Estate, Jabi Abuja zeenatsambo@yahoo.com

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TECHDIGEST – The Federal Government says it is still waiting for the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to upgrade and return to it the Universities Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS), which was said to have failed integrity test.

ASUU has embarked on one month warning strike on Feb. 14, to press home their demands involving about N1.3 trillion.

ALSO READ : ASUU drops strike as NITDA approves UTAS for members salaries

The union also want the federal government to adopt the UTAS payment platform to replace the Integrated Personnel and Payment Information System (IPPIS).

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Inuwa, however, insisted that UTAS has failed the necessary tests that should qualify it to be used as a payment platform.

Inuwa stated this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents at the end of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Reacting to the contentious issues that led to the ongoing ASUU strike, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, said when he received a letter from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, requesting a review of the submission and the technical ability of the software of the system, he forwarded the request to NITDA

He said: “NITDA conducted their own analysis, their own testing and sent same back to me, and I drafted a cover letter I forwarded to the Minister of Labour and Employment, and I copied the two Ministers of Education, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and also office of the Accountant General of the Federation and even NUC (National University Commission).”

Pantami, however, directed the director-general of NITDA, who sat beside him, to give the situation report on the matter.

Kashifu said: “When we received the request to review  UTAS, you know, building complex system like UTAS that involves employees’ personal data, and also payment system, we have to subject it to do best practice tests before approving.

“Normally, when we are reviewing that kind of system, we perform three tests.

“Firstly, because when you’re building system, it’s not just about the technology, you need to consider the people that will use this system and the process.

“If you don’t align people, process and technology, you will never get result. No matter how good the technology is, if the people don’t understand how to use it, they won’t use it. And if the process is different from the way the people work, also, they won’t use it.

“So that is a process of building technology.

“You need to get the business requirement. What do you want to achieve? So it’s not the technology that will come first, it is the business requirement, what do you want to achieve, then you need to identify the capabilities you need to achieve, that is your business objective.

“Part of the capability is the technology you need to bring in and the people that will operate the technology before you start thinking of the technology, because technology is always a tool that will help you to achieve an objective or to do your work. If you bring the tool before knowing what to do with it, it will be useless.

“So, when they came, we said okay, fine, we will do user acceptance test. ASUU you’ve built this system, but you are not the one that will use the system. There are people in Bursary, and all the finance that will use this system.

“So we need to do users’ acceptance test with them, let them come show them the system, let them see if it can help them to do the work there.

“Secondly, we said we’ll do vulnerability test to test the security integrity of the system. Because if there is vulnerability, people can hack it, can change and it involves financial transactions. Adding zero means a lot. So we say we need to do that.

“And also we need to do stress test. You can build a system on your laptop or on a small computer, use it but when you put so many data it will crash, we need to do the stress test to make sure that system can do.

“This is on the system. Then also you need to have a data centre where you need to put that system because just having a system without the data centre it will not operate also.

“So, we did all these three tests with them. And the system couldn’t pass. We wrote the reports and submitted it back to the Minister, which he forwarded to all relevant institutions, including ASUU.

“As we speak now, ASUU is working, trying to fix all the issues we highlighted with the system and we will review it again, but that is just one half of the story.’’

According to him, ASUU is yet to inform the federal government where the data centre of the system will be installed.

“The second half of the story also, we need to find where to put that system like IPPIS we have a data centre built for it. ASUU where are we going to put it?

“That means we need to have the data centre and also we need to check the data centre to make sure it meets minimum requirement, because if you put people’s information and the system crashes, how can you pay them salary?

“You need to build redundancy. There are a lot of things to do. So, but as we speak, they’re trying to fix all the issues we highlighted with the system. Then when we finish that, we need to look at the second half of the story, getting where to install it.”

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had on Match 1 briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the progress report over the on-going negotiation between federal government and ASUU.

Ngige, who spoke to newsmen at the end of the meeting with the president, said the federal government had so far paid over N92 billion as earned allowances and revitalisation fee to federal owned universities across the country.

He said this was part of the implementation of the 2020 December agreement reached with the ASUU.

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