The Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Is-haq Oleyede has expressed strong support for the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU over its rejection of the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) being used by the Federal Government as a payment platform for university workers
Oloyede who was speaking as a guest speaker at a virtual lecture organised by a committee of friends of Prof. Peter Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to mark his 71st birthday anniversary, described the policy as totally unsuitable for the university system.
The JAMB boss during the virtual lecture titled ‘Synchronising Cacophony: Interrogating Some Issues of Concepts and Perception in the Nigerian Higher Education Topology, also condemned the proliferation of universities, particularly the specialised ones in the country, saying the action is diversionary and counter-productive to an ideal university system.
Oloyede stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to put pressure on the government to drop particularly IPPIS in the universities for a more robust payment system that could be given any name.
His words , “I am not a fan of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, but they have a point here. IPPIS is unsuitable for the university system.
“Let me cite an instance, when I was the Vice Chancellor at the University of Ilorin, I went to Australia on an official assignment and there I met a Nigerian with PhD in an area of Botany where we lacked the manpower", he added
“I spoke with the man and convinced him of the need to work with us and he agreed. Immediately, I put a call to the Dean of the Faculty of Science and told him about the development and that was how we secured the services of the man. He is now a professor in one of the nation’s universities,” he stated
On the proliferation of public universities , Oloyede also called for moderation in the setting up of universities by government agencies noting that there were institutions already created which could cater for the training of other agencies.
He added that the government should instead focus on the adequate funding of the already existing universities in the country.
“Also, we must be careful of the number of universities we are having, especially the ones being set up by government agencies and the military.
“We already have the Nigerian Defence Academy which trains officers for all the arms of the military. We also have the Police Academy that trains police officers, it can also help in training para-military men too.
“In that regard, we don’t need more than one or two. If care is not taken, we will soon have the ‘University of Road Safety’ or the ‘University of Civil Defence’. Adequately funding existing universities should be our focus,” Oloyede submitted
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