FEC Grants Exemption: Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education Removed from IPPIS

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the exemption of Federal Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education from the Integrated Personnel Payment System (IPPIS). The decision, announced during the FEC meeting on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa Abuja, takes immediate effect.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, revealed the decision while briefing State House Correspondents alongside other ministers. Notably, the FEC emphasized that Vice-Chancellors of Universities no longer need to disrupt their responsibilities to travel to Abuja for salary processing.

The move comes amidst a longstanding dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government regarding the utilization of IPPIS for the payment of university lecturers’ entitlements.

ASUU’s Vice President, Chris Piwuna, a vocal advocate against IPPIS, underscored the autonomy of universities as a central concern. He accused the Office of the Head of Service of meddling in university affairs and firmly stated, “ASUU will never accept IPPIS on our campuses.”

The rejection of IPPIS led ASUU to endorse the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as their preferred platform for payment. In response to mounting pressure, the government granted concessions, expressing willingness to collaborate with ASUU to modify IPPIS to align with the unique characteristics of universities and accommodate the features of the lecturers’ preferred payment platform – UTAS.