By Daniel Edu
Prof. Abayomi Fasina, the Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), has called on the government to reconsider the compensation for academic professionals in the country, asserting that professors should receive a minimum monthly salary of N1 million in Nigeria.
The university official made this assertion during a recent event in Oye Ekiti over the weekend. Prof. Fasina, while addressing various issues within the educational sector, expressed his endorsement of the Federal Government’s decision to exempt public universities from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
He believes that this move will grant universities greater autonomy, allowing them to manage their affairs more effectively. Prof. Fasina highlighted the advantages of departing from the IPPIS, emphasizing that it enables universities to independently determine the optimal management of their systems.
“The advantage is that we are now independent to decide on the proper management of the system. We can also use our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to supplement what we receive from the government,” explained Fasina regarding the IPPIS.
He further stated, “Another advantage is that we want the government to increase our salary, and with this development, we can subsidize such increments with our IGR. Currently, lecturers in Nigerian universities are poorly paid. For instance, a professor should not earn less than a million naira.”
According to the Vice Chancellor, this move away from the IPPIS will alleviate the challenges associated with bureaucratic processes, allowing universities to efficiently handle their own affairs, including recruitment and other administrative tasks.
Fasina also highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles within IPPIS, citing instances where staff members faced delays in receiving their salaries, and a former Vice Chancellor on sabbatical was denied salaries upon return for several months due to IPPIS bottlenecks.
By exempting universities from IPPIS, Prof. Fasina commended President Bola Tinubu, stating that it demonstrates a genuine intention and commitment to improving the fortunes of the education sector, predicting that the exemption would lead to a revitalized university system.
