FG reverses 18-year admission entry for varsities, sets new priorities

In a significant policy shift, Nigeria’s newly appointed Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced the abolition of the 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions across the country.

During his inaugural press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, he also indicated plans to review the nation’s education policy.

Despite these changes, Alausa reaffirmed that there will be no reversal of the Federal Government’s recent decision to invalidate over 22,700 degree certificates obtained by Nigerians from certain “fake” universities in neighboring Togo and the Benin Republic.

This move aims to uphold the integrity of the nation’s education system.

Emphasizing the need for practical education, Alausa noted that the current system cannot continue producing graduates without corresponding job opportunities, which has contributed to Nigeria’s rising unemployment rates.

To address this, he announced plans for the federal government to partner with private sector operators to provide training and development opportunities for students, unlocking their potential for future employment.

Additionally, Alausa expressed a commitment to empowering universities of agriculture to adopt commercial farming practices as a strategic approach to combat food insecurity in the country.

FG reverses 18-year admission entry for varsities, sets new priorities

FG removes tertiary institutions from IPPIS platform

The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has confirmed the shutdown of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for Federal Tertiary Institutions (FTIs), following a Federal Government directive.

Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, shared the update in an interview, explaining that the decision aligns with the government’s approval to remove FTIs from the IPPIS platform.

“It was only natural for the IPPIS platform for FTIs to be shut down, given the federal government’s directive to remove these institutions from the system,” Mokwa explained.

He further revealed that November salaries for FTIs will be processed through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

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Institutions are required to prepare their payroll in an Excel format and submit it to IPPIS for verification and validation.

Amid concerns about changes to salary account details, the OAGF issued a statement clarifying that no directive has been given to workers to change the financial institutions linked to their IPPIS accounts.

The statement noted the priority placed on workers’ welfare, assuring that no misleading or panic-inducing instructions would be issued.

The OAGF explained that any change in salary accounts is a personal decision by the individual worker and that the IPPIS office has not mandated any such changes.

The Treasury, as the OAGF is known, also urged financial institutions to strengthen their operations and ensure the efficient management of accounts holding workers’ salaries.

The office expressed confidence in the regulatory agencies responsible for overseeing the health and viability of financial institutions, insisting on a their capability to fulfill their mandates.

Workers with legitimate reasons to change their salary accounts were advised to follow the official procedures provided by the OAGF to ensure smooth transitions without disruptions to their payroll.

FG removes tertiary institutions from IPPIS platform

(Nation)

Reprieve as FG releases funds to pay striking varsity workers

The Federal Government has released funds for payment of withheld salaries of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Federal Universities (NASU).

Mr Bawa Mokwa, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) made this known in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.

According to Mokwa, the Federal Government also released funds for payment of benefits to retirees under the Nigerian Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme Sector (NUPCPS).

He said that payments to NASU had commenced, adding that many members had confirmed receipt.

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He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to efficiently cater for the well-being of Nigerian workers and retirees.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) had commenced a nationwide strike on Monday.

The SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, said that the strike would continue for the next seven days unless the government addressed the grievances raised by the unions.

The unions had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum, urging the Federal Government to rectify the disparities in the payments among universities’ unions.

Reprieve as FG releases funds to pay striking varsity workers