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ASUU Lashes Out At Govt Over UTAS, Challenges Pantami, Inuwa To Public Debate

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Speaker Gbajabiamila Never Promised University Lecturers Payment Of Salary Arrears - Reps

One of the disagreements between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is far from being resolved.

There has been a new dimension to the disagreement over the declaration of the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, that the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) created by the ASUU in lieu of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System for the payment of university lecturers had failed an integrity test.

In a statement which ASUU released on Sunday in Abuja, it accused Inuwa of deliberately misinforming the public and had therefore invited the minister of communications and digital economy, Isa Pantami and Inuwa to a public debate over the integrity of UTAS.

The statement signed by the national president, ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, partly read: “The one-month roll-over strike by our union on 14th February 2022, has entered its 4th week. During this period we have been having engagements with the government over the contending issues that necessitated the action.

“One of the contending issues is the deployment of the UTAS which is a robust software created by ASUU technical group to manage personnel and payroll in the university system.

“The Federal Government had referred UTAS to NITDA to conduct user acceptance test and vulnerability test assessment and penetration test prior to the final deployment. The process, which commenced on Thursday, March 3 is still ongoing.

“This press statement is necessitated by the need for ASUU to put the records straight on the grounds already covered in our patriotic struggle to get the government to deploy UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment.

READ ALSO: University Lecturers’ Contaminated And Adulterated Remunerations (2)

“Of special concern is the statement credited to both the minister of communications and digital economy and the Director General of NITDA, to the effect that UTAS had failed integrity test.

“Let us put it on record that an integrity test was carried out by NITDA on August 10, 2021 in NUC where relevant government agencies and all the end-users in the university system were present.

At the end of the exercise, all without exception expressed satisfaction with UTAS. This was attested to the effect that UTAS scored 85 percent in User Acceptance Test.”

ASUU, in the statement also added that it was worried that while engagement was still going on in the second round of testing, the minister and the DG, NITDA, “went to press after the FEC meeting of Wednesday, 9th March 2022, to mislead the nation that UTAS failed the integrity test.

“Clearly, 85 percent and 77 percent are high class grades in any known evaluation. In their desperation to justify their false assertion, they threw up issues such as data centre and hosting of UTAS software which are clearly outside the rubrics of ASUU’s responsibilities in the deployment of UTAS.”

The union further cautioned the minister and the DG, NITDA against “making comments that are capable of jeopardising the joint ongoing testing of UTAS between the NITDA technical team and its counterpart in our union.

“However, if this behavior continues, we will have no choice but to demand that the report on UTAS be made public in order to shed more light on the ongoing controversies without further waste of time. The DG NITDA, and the minister superintending the agency are challenged to a public discussion on any national media to put all matters to rest for the benefit of our students, union members, and the Nigerian public in general.”

 

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Toyin Falola Honoured In Canada For Contribution To African Studies

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Prof. Toyin Falola

The Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS) has awarded United States-based Nigerian professor of history Toyin Falola the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to African Studies .

In a letter announcing the award, CAAS told Prof. Falola that it recognized his exceptional contributions, unwavering dedication, and profound impact on the field of African Studies in Canada and beyond.

The CAAS Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to African Studies recognizes senior scholars who have been engaged actively as CAAS stalwarts and have retired or nearing retirement. The requirements are (1) a lifetime of sound scholarship; (2) accomplishments  (research, teaching and mentoring awards, etc.) and (3) involvement in the activities of CAAS.

The letter said: “Your achievements as a renowned historian and an esteemed member of the academic community meet all these criteria at an extremely high level.Throughout your illustrious career, you have made significant contributions to the advancement of African Studies, leaving an indelible mark on the discipline. Your pioneering research, insightful publications, and dedication to mentoring a new generation of scholars have significantly enriched our understanding of Africa’s history, culture, and society. Your  profound influence extends beyond research and publications. You have been actively engaged in the academic community, serving as a keynote speaker at CAAS conferences (as we can witness at this year’s conference) and co-organizing the successful CAAS conference at York University in 1991. Your tireless efforts in reviewing scholarly works for the Canadian Journal of African Studies and your longstanding role on the editorial board of the Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora at York University further demonstrate your commitment to advancing the field.

“In addition to your invaluable contributions to CAAS, your impact on the Canadian academic landscape is remarkable. As an external examiner at esteemed Canadian universities, including the University of Toronto, York University, Dalhousie, Trent University, and Queens University, you have played an integral role in shaping the academic rigor and quality of African Studies programs across the country. Moreover, your mentoring of Africanist scholars based in Canada has nurtured and inspired a new generation of researchers and intellectuals. In that regard, you have supervised more than 100 Master’s and Doctoral dissertations in your areas of specialization. Your noteworthy achievements have garnered global recognition and acclaim. You have been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the 2011 Distinguished Africanist Award from the African Studies Association (ASA) and an impressive tally of over 40-lifetime awards from various countries. With 16 honorary doctorates  documented in your vita, you stand as a true luminary in the field. Recently, on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at State House, Abuja, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari conferred on you, one of the nation’s oldest and highest merit honors, the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON). This is proof of the degree of recognition that you have enjoyed in your homeland.

“On behalf of the Canadian Association of African Studies, I extend our deep congratulations to you on this well-deserved honor. Your exceptional contributions, unwavering commitment, and outstanding achievements serve as an inspiration to all Africanists and scholars in related fields in Canada and globally.”

The letter added: “Please note that the award will be formally announced at the CAAS Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at 5:00 pm. The venue for the meeting is Founders College, FC 152, York University, and the event will be in a Hybrid format. More information will be provided to enable you to invite family and friends to witness the award ceremony segment of the AGM.” The letter was signed by Nduka Otiono, PhD.

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ASUU Loses On ‘No Work, No Pay,’ Wins On IPPIS

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BREAKING: Govt Wins As Industrial Court Orders ASUU To Suspend Strike
ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke

It was not a complete defeat of university teachers as the National Industrial Court (NIC) ruled on the “no work, no pay” policy in the suit filed by the federal government under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The suit was against the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) following the university teaching staff union’s eight months industrial action in 2022.

The Nigerian Government had filed a suit before the NIC against ASUU over the demand of the union for the payment of their salaries from February 14 to October 7, 2022, when the strike was called off.

While the union insisted on getting their payment for all the months they embarked on strike, the Nigerian government under former President Muhammadu Buhari refused, insisting on implementing its “no work, no pay” policy against the lecturers.

Ruling on a suit filed against the union by the government, the industrial court held that the no work no pay rule enforced by the Nigerian government against members of ASUU who went on strike in 2022 is legal.

The court in a judgment delivered by its President, Justice Benedict Kanyip, ruled that it is within the right of the Nigerian government to withhold salaries of workers who embark on an industrial action.

However, the court held that it is a violation of University Autonomy for the Nigerian Government to impose the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform on members of ASUU who reserve the right to determine how their salaries should be paid.

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Stop Panic Buying, Fuel Subsidy Removal Not Immediate – Tinubu

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Why I Stopped Using Social Media - Tinubu
President Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday assured Nigerians that the removal of subsidy would not be immediate and that they should stop panic buying of petroleum.

The president’s position was stated by the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Media Centre.

In a statement, the centre urged the public to relax panic-buying that has ensued as a result of his speech.

The statement explained the development is neither new nor an action of his new administration.

The Tweet reads: “The public is advised to note that President Bola Tinubu’s declaration that “subsidy is gone” is neither a new development nor an action of his new administration.

“He was merely communicating the status quo, considering that the previous administration’s budget for fuel subsidy was planned and approved to last for only the first half of the year.

“Effectively, this means that by the end of June, the Federal Government will be without funds to continue the subsidy regime, translating to its termination.

“The panic-buying that has ensued as a result of the communication is needless; it will not take immediate effect.

“Furthermore, President Tinubu was clear about his plans to re-channel the funds previously devoted to the payment of subsidies into better investments that will cushion the effects of the removal on the general public, especially the poor of the poor. This includes but is not limited to investments in public infrastructure, education, healthcare and jobs that will materially improve the lives of millions of Nigerians and increase their earning potential.”

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