The Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, has threatened strike action if the October salary of its members is not paid by the Federal Government.

ASUU recently announced the rejection of the Integrated Payment Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which they claim is being forced on them by the Federal Government.

The IPPIS is mandated by the FG to see to the payment of salaries of all workers. The FG also warned that any worker not captured by IPPIS will not be paid.

Reacting to the development, Ade Adejumo, ASUU coordinator, Ibadan zone, who spoke to journalists on Sunday stated that it is designed to suppress the masses.

“The government has not only rolled out its propaganda machines against our union but is also planning to ambush the union and force our members into this ill-informed platform,” he said.

“These ominous signs have made it expedient for ASUU, as a responsible union of intellectuals, to puncture the lies sold to the public by the government, particularly the office of the accountant-general of the federation so that members of the public can better be informed about our position.

“The government, conceding that the university is peculiar and different from the civil service, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government, agreed to the autonomy of universities in Nigeria and signed into law the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment Act) in 2003.

“For emphasis, therefore, we now present detailed perspectives of our union’s rejection of the IPPIS to discerning members of the public. We have cited these laws to expose the mischief or ignorance of the accountant-general of the Federation in his reckless statement that by opposing IPPIS, our union endorses corruption.”

(The Nation)