The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on University Education, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata has distanced the Speaker of the House, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen from a statement that university lecturers will be removed from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS).

Speaking while representing the Speaker at the 3rd International Conference on Gender Policy at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Fulata had said that the House would pursue the interest of the academia.

He said the House was committed to removing the tertiary institutions from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), to enhance lecturers’ welfare and reduce the brain drain syndrome.

However, in a statement, he personally signed on Sunday, Hon. Fulata said the statement was not authorized by the Speaker or the House of Representatives.

Although he did not deny the statement, he said the statement was made in his personal capacity, while saying he will continue to work for the welfare of teachers in the country.

The statement reads: “My attention has been drawn to media reports in which I, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, as the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on University Education, spoke at the 3rd International Conference of the Gender Policy Unit, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, and expressed my personal opinion on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.

“However, and unfortunately so, the media attributed my opinion on the need to remove tertiary institutions from IPPIS to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D.

“I want to make it categorically clear that I spoke in my personal capacity as a member of the House of Representatives. Therefore, my opinion on IPPIS remains mine and not that of the Speaker or any other member of the House for that matter.

“Let me restate that as a member of the House, I am determined to work with my colleagues to improve the welfare of teachers in our tertiary institutions through additional budgetary allocations.

“I shall also work with my colleagues to make sure that education receives a substantial portion of the national budget to meet the United Nations requirement of 26 percent of the national budget.

“Let the media be guided and always attribute comments to appropriate sources.” (The Nation: Text, Excluding Headline)

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