The University of Ibadan (UI) and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) chapters of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have demanded the return of union funds deducted from their members' salaries during the recent strike action.
The union chairmen, Professor Ayo Akinwole (UI) and Dr. Babatunde Lawal (LAUTECH), have called on the federal and state governments to provide more funding for tertiary education.
The ASUU leaders argued that their demands are legitimate and that improved learning conditions will contribute to the development of science, technology, and national progress.
They criticized the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) as a violation of university autonomy and a fraudulent platform causing hardship for academics.
The union leaders stated that the salaries of their members are still being withheld, and the third-party deductions, such as cooperative contributions, pension deductions, and union dues, have not been released despite the government's directive to exit federal universities from IPPIS. They described this as an act of sabotage and fraud.
The ASUU chairmen urged the government to utilize the current opportunity to resolve all outstanding issues and avert an industrial crisis in public universities.
