Rescue universities from total collapse, ASUU FUPRE tells FG
UGHELLI – ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, FUPRE, Delta State, chapter, has urged the Federal Government to implement the Renegotiated 2009 Agreement with university lecturers and rescue the “nation`s Ivory Towers” from total collapse.
It also demanded “an immediate stoppage in the use of the controversial and corrupt Integrated Payroll and Personnel System, IPPIS, in the payment of lecturers` salary, payment of all arrears and amend the National Universities Commission , NUC Act, to curtail the indiscriminate establishment and proliferation of universities by State governments.”
ASUU FUPRE, in a statement by its Chairman, Dr. E.O. Agbalagba and Secretary, Dr. Jerry Osokpor on its position on the impending nationwide strike by the union,decried what it described as the continuous ugly neglect of public tertiary institutions by government.
The statement read: “The union urge government to as a matter of urgency deploy the University Transparency and Accountability Software, UTAS, developed by the Union as a veritable alterative to the IPPIS in the Nigerian University System.
“It is imperative that the Nigerian public be aware that the deployment of the IPPIS in the University System by the government, is breach and violation of the University Miscellaneous Act. The IPPIS is frothed with irregularities and incapable of recognizing the peculiarities of the salary and allowances structure of the University System.”
The union noted that the forceful implementation of the IPPIS had further disrupted the fragile financial framework and the smooth running of universities.
It noted that it was “imperative for the Government to as a matter of urgency set up machinery that would transform and reposition tertiary education to meet global standards, as nation without a virile and thriving education industry cannot survive in extant global order of technological, economic and social structure.
“To this end, the Union calls on the Federal and State governments to strengthen and fund education to the desired standards, as the current attitude towards funding of education by various governments portends danger and disastrous consequences for the future of the nation.
“The Union has been patient with Government and has explored and exploited all avenues of advancement in the tertiary sector of the education industry to no avail. It has become clear that the Government by its policies and poor financial interventions, is poised to abandoning the Education Sector.
“The Union calls on well-meaning individuals, private, corporate and the civil society to prevail on Government in order to prevent the imminent industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that may lead to a total collapse of public university in the country.”