By IBRAHIM SHUAIBU, Kano

Bayero University Kano (BUK) has terminated the appointments of 30 academic staff who are in its employ on contract basis.

Most of those affected are senior retired lecturers, including the Chief Imam of Kano, Professor Sani Zaharadeen; and Professor Abdulkadir Dangambo of the Department of Languages.

The termination of their appointments according to the university authorities, is because the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) does not accommodate contract staff.

One of the contract lecturers, Dr Sai’du Ahmad Dukawa, confirmed that his contract appointment was terminated with the university.

“The university informed me that the termination was in line with the federal government’s directive for staff to enrol on the new salary payment platform (IPPIS).

“I have been on contract with the university for 7 years and my contract is renewed every two years. Although the contract is supposed to be renewed next year before it was terminated yesterday,” Dukawa said.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello, said the university gave the contract academic lecturers 40 days notice before termination of their appointments, as against 30 days notice as contained in the contract agreement.

Dukawa said the university took the decision in line with the federal government’s directive to stop payment of contract lecturers.

“It is a condition to enrol staff in the salary payment platform of IPPIS. And the federal government made it clear that except the university would pay such staff from its internally generated revenue which we cannot.”

However the Vice-Chancellor said the termination of the contract staff would not affect the institution, noting that the university has 1, 776 academic staff. (THISDAY)