Integrity test for UTAS will last between six to eight months - FG

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has remarked that the integrity test being conducted on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)'s proposed payment software would last between six and eight months.

The union had embarked on strike for over eight months to protest among other things, the Federal Government’s preferred Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and suggested the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as an alternative for its members.

While speaking on Tuesday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Ngige stated that the integrity test is being conducted by the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The minister maintained that even if the software passes the integrity test, the lecturers don’t have the money to procure the necessary hardware for its implementation, adding that the Federal Government did not make provision for the procurement of the UTAS hardware in the budget.

Meanwhile, ASUU has blamed the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, over the prolonged strike, accusing him of showing what it called “disdain for Nigerian academics.”

The union said it was obvious that Ngige, through his recent utterances, had clearly shown his disdain for the lecturers and had failed to play the role of an unbiased umpire in resolving the issue.