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‘UTAS more than an alternative to IPPIS, ready for integrity test,’ ASUU tells Nigerian govt

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said on Tuesday its University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) was read for integrity tests.

The university lecturers had proposed the UTAS as an alternative to the Federal Government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who disclosed this at a media briefing in Abuja, said the union had fulfilled the requirement of the federal government in successfully developing the payment system.

He insisted that UTAS remained a more effective alternative to IPPIS, saying the platform “does not respect the nature, structure, and character of the Nigerian university system.”

Ogunyemi said: “We had always promised that ASUU would produce a robust software solution that would be sensitive to the uniqueness of the university system in addressing personnel information and payroll system, among other things.

“Following our engagements with the federal government over the issues that eventually led to the declaration of the ongoing strike action on 17th March 2020, the government declared that it ‘accepts in principle the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), which is being developed by ASUU and its researchers for the financial administration of the university’s staff monthly payroll and accounting processes.

READ ALSO: IPPIS an instrument of corruption – ASUU

“In addition, the federal government pledged that “When fully developed UTAS will be subjected to various integrity tests in order to verify its efficacy to see whether this final product will pass the necessary technical attribute test as specified by NITDA.

“On our part, ASUU had given a timeframe of eighteen (18) months to the government to develop, test, and deploy UTAS.

“In keeping with this promise, ASUU is pleased to announce that UTAS is now ready for the integrity tests required of it by the government. Indeed, the software was unveiled by way of demonstration to the minister and senior management staff of the Ministry of Education, including the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), yesterday, 17th August 2020.

“However, we must emphasise that UTAS is far more than just an alternative to IPPIS which does not respect the nature, structure, and character of the Nigerian university system.”

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