Academic Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU) has said that funding, which is a major problem of Nigerian universities, worsened since the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
During a meeting with the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, in Abuja, yesterday, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said universities no longer invest for profit and self-sufficiency because of TSA.
He clarified that the union’s decision to accept the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) was an interim arrangement, as the payment mode could not accommodate the union’s peculiarities.
According to Osodeke, ASUU would revert to its demand to be paid through the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), adding that the decision to call off the strike was based on trust.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Sylva Okolieaboh, said the issues raised by ASUU would be resolved in three months, once the comprehensive peculiarities list of the union is ready.
Gbajabiamila asked ASUU to submit its peculiarities to the accountant-general, so that the issue could be addressed within the specified period.
The N500 billion included for ASUU in the budget, according to the speaker, was a deliberate measure towards addressing its challenges, saying the planned universities’ summit coming up in November would further find long term solutions to the lecturers’ challenges.
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