FG softens position on ASUU demand, mulls adoption of UTAS

<!– Senate President Ahmed Lawan, left brokering a meeting between ASUU and FG on Monday –>

Senate President Ahmed Lawan, left brokering a meeting between ASUU and FG

By Naomi Sharang/Abuja

The Federal Government, on Tuesday, said it might consider adoption of University Transparency Account System (UTAS) presented by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

UTAS, proposed by ASUU to the Federal Government, is an alternative emoluments payment platform to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The Labour Minister, Sen. Chris Ngige, said this while addressing newsmen after about two and half hours closed door meeting with the leaderships of the Senate and ASUU.

Ngige said that the alternative payment platform presented by ASUU was home grown and worth given thorough assessment test.

“We agreed at the meeting to give required consideration to the UTAS alternative they came up with as a way of finding lasting solution to the lingering crisis over implementation of IPPIS.

“We have neither jettisoned the implementation of the IPPIS nor fully accepted UTAS .

“The level we moved to now is to subject ASUU’s scheme to integrity test and in doing so, it will be presented to users like the office of Accountant General of the Federation on Wednesday .

“After that, it will be sent to the National Information Technology Development Agency ( NITDA) and from there to the office of the National Security Adviser for second look.

“The platform is an option home-grown device that requires stage by stage consideration and from the looks of things is good,” he said.

Confirming the headway achieved at the meeting, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TetFund, Sen. Ahmad Baba Kaita, said that the interface had not ended, but a stage of compromise is getting closer between the two parties.

“The meeting brokered by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, among other stakeholders, achieved a lot today with agreement on the need to subject the UTAS alternative brought forward by ASUU for integrity test by all relevant departments of the government,” he said.

The ASUU leaders refused to speak to the press after the closed door meeting.

But they appeared to be in good mood due to government’s decision to consider the alternative platform.

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