Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, the President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has revealed that union is yet to call off it ongoing strike.
According to Ogunyemi, this is because they are still waiting for the government to play its part.
He stated this during an interview, adding that ASUU is waiting for the government to conduct an integrity test on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution as agreed before calling off the strike.
He disclosed that the union had presented the payment platform in place of the federal government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.
Ogunyemi also disclosed that the Federal Government needs to give the clearance to National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), so integrity test on UTAS can be conducted.
During the interview, he said,”The integrity test will be handled by NITDA, it is government that will facilitate it because NITDA is a government, agency and unless you get clearance from the government that test cannot be conducted.”
On the possibility that UTAS has been accepted, he said,”We are still talking, we have given them the position of our members, we are thinking we should be able to hold a meeting this week if they have not changed plans. The meeting for Monday was postponed. In principal, they have accepted UTAS and told us to go for the test, and on our part, we have started the process.
“We had presented UTAS at three levels, starting with the Ministry of Education, Senate President and members of his team, officials of Ministry of Finance and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, where all other stakeholders were present, including NITDA, all stakeholders have witnessed the presentation and the next stage of integrity test is what we are moving in to. If government facilitates it, it is not something that should drag for too long at all. We don’t foresee any problem with UTAS; it also depends on how early the government makes it possible for the integrity test to be conducted.
“Our members are ready to resume work as early as government is ready to play its part. I’m sure you are not suggesting that our members should resume on empty stomach.”
Ogunyemi attested to the fact that members are ready to resume as soon as the government to ready to play its part.
“We have not seen enough reasons to believe that they don’t mean what they are telling us but as soon as we see any sign to that effect. we will tell Nigerians.”
