The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has recently approved a long-awaited exemption for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other tertiary institutions from the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS). This move grants these institutions more autonomy and control over their personnel matters.
The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Maman, announced the new policy, which allows university Vice Chancellors to conduct recruitment exercises without seeking the approval of the Head of Service. This significantly streamlines the recruitment process.
President Tinubu, who chaired the FEC meeting, emphasized the importance of efficiency and autonomy for higher education institutions. He expressed dissatisfaction with the reliance on IPPIS for recruitment, which often proved cumbersome and bureaucratic.
In Professor Maman’s words, “The president and the council are just concerned about the efficiency of the management of the universities, and so it has nothing to do with the integrity or options of platforms.” He added that the President cannot understand why Vice Chancellors should have to leave their duty posts and run to Abuja to get staff enlisted on IPPIS when they get recruited.
Maman further explained that universities are governed by laws that grant them autonomy in certain respects and most respects, but the IPPIS has eroded that autonomy.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, also hailed the FEC’s decision as a “big relief,” stating that universities and other tertiary institutions had long clamored for exemption from IPPIS.
According to his statement, the universities and other tertiary institutions have received a huge relief from the integrated personnel payroll and information system. He reminded that the universities and other institutions have been demanding exemption from this system.
Now, the council has approved the exemption. This means that the universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education will no longer be a part of the IPPIS system. They can now pay their personnel from their end instead of relying on the IPPIS system. The Honorable Minister of Education has also confirmed this decision.