By CHARLES IWUOHA

The member representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chinedu Ogah, has called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to key into Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to enable them receive their salaries.

Before the lockdown that led to the closure of all schools nationwide, ASUU had declared an indefinite strike to protest the stoppage of their salaries and the directive by the government to compel its members to enroll with IPPIS.

The union raised the issue of its outstanding agreement entered with the federal government in February 2019, and demanded that all aspects of the agreement not implemented should be implemented accordingly.

ASUU had requested for 18 months' time frame to develop its own alternative salary payment system, which is the University Transparency and Accountability System (UTAS) against the IPISS.

It also demanded a phased release of N1.1trillion for revitalisation of federal universities and N220 billion as arrears of earned academic allowances to its members said to have accumulated from the original agreement it had with the federal government in 2009.

Ogah, while reacting to ASUU’s strike, urged the union to key into the IPISS for their salaries to be paid.

He said: “The National President of ASUU is working in a state university and he is receiving his salaries and all his entitlements every month.

“He is now deceiving those that are working in Federal Universities not to key into IPISS so that they will not receive their own salaries and pay the school fees of their children and solve their other financial problems.

“University of Maiduguri, Jos have all keyed into IPISS and he is there in a state university deceiving people.

“We call on vice chancellors of federal institutions in south east to quickly go and do the needful in support of the good works of President Muhammadu Buhari,” Ogah said.