Before his appointment as Buhari’s Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu was someone who dedicated himself to public service, enlightening public, castigating rulers’ actions and inactions on pages of newspapers; but he should be ashamed for his failure to end ASUU strike. Without mincing too many words, let me say my intention isn’t to weaken your efforts, but rather, this plea is intended to strengthen you to subject this issue to a final resolution.
When Adamu Adamu was appointed as minister of education, our expectations were to bring an end to ASUU’s persistent strike. Consequently, as someone tasked with responsibility to head the education ministry; I can say, failure to reconcile ASUU with the AGF’s office, labour, and finance ministries is an abdication of responsibility. We wonder why previous negotiations between you, ASUU and the affected ministries weren’t reasonably amicable. Accordingly, for history to be kind to you, and to discharge your responsibility, call ASUU back to the discussion table.
With you supervising a strike-ridden university system, Malam Adamu, what legacy do you want to bequeath at the completion of your tenure? And for ASUU as a union, I say, there is no better time than now to reflect, feel the pains of the affected students, compromise, and show gratitude. Because, seemingly, your persistent strike has seen you loose public sympathy. Both ASUU and the affected ministries have dilly-dallied for too long, as a consequence, resolve your disagreements to a final conclusion.
While I maintain this stand, I must admit to the fact that strike is the language understood by Nigerian government. But taking strike as the only measure, must prompt one to doubt ASUU’s patriotism. Although, huge deductions noticed from previous salary payments to academic and non-academic staff that were enrolled into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) has justified the fear behind IPPIS. More so, it implies that to university staff, IPPIS is a conduit pipe for salary deductions. With reported salary deductions, ASUU have every reason to fear, or more so resist the IPPIS. From what I learnt, the IPPIS is a threat to their welfare as university workers, and to the university education in its entirety.
It’s on record that both academic and non-academic tertiary institutions’ employees who have agreed to be enrolled into the IPPIS platform have bitterly complained of anomalies, huge deductions, irregularities in their respective monthly salaries. Imagine a case of a vice chancellor whose salary was reduced to N50, 000 by IPPIS. Therefore, one will wonder, without correcting the irregularities, why do you insist on enrolling ASUU into it? Besides, if I were President Muhammadu Buhari, I will rather exempt both academic and non-academic university employees from the IPPIS than disrupt the teaching and learning in our tertiary institutions. It’ll rather be right to stick to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) for academics than impromptu, jerry-rigged adoption of the IPPIS. Since IPPIS didn’t accommodate other university services, exempt ASUU from it as you did to workers of other agencies, and financial institutions.
Abbas Datti comradeabbasdatti@gmailcom
