The National Association Academic Technologists (NAAT) has expressed reservation over the removal of Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education from the Integrated Personnel Payment System (IPPIS).

NAAT, in a statement signed by Ibeji Nwokoma on Saturday, said centralised payment platform will reduce the menacing trend of ghost workers.

Last week, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) exempted universities, polytechnics and colleges of education from the IPPIS.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, who briefed the media, said FEC observed that Vice Chancellors of Universities didn’t need to abandon their work to come to Abuja to process the salaries of their personnel.

In its statement, NAAT said by the government’s recent action, university autonomy will be restored. It, however, expressed reservations on “payment uniformity of salaries and allowances across federal tertiary institutions as it was achieved under IPPIS despite its shortcomings”.

“With the exit of Federal Tertiary Institutions from IPPIS, NAAT is curious to seek for clarification from Government on the way forward as nothing can exist out of nothing.

“Our Union advocates for the continuous use of a centralized payment platform to sustain the gains already achieved through IPPIS and reduce the incidence of over-bloated personnel cost and ghost workers being major reasons for creation of IPPIS,” the statement read. (Channels TV: Text, Excluding Headline)