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IT costs the government about N184.4 billion yearly to run the 32 federal universities, an audit has discovered.
Of the cash, N167.4 billion is spent on personnel; N12.172 billion goes to capital projects.
The government has introduced the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) for all the 32 Federal universities to force down the bill.
It was gathered that the IPPIS will enable the government to detect ghost workers and monitor the universities’ spending.
The government suspects that the personnel cost is inflated by most universities.
To verify the data and bills of universities, it decided to introduce IPPS, which is being managed by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
A breakdown of the annual expenditure on the universities is as follows: Personnel Cost (N167, 416, 027, 193.00); Overhead Cost (N4, 836, 634, 955.00); and Capital (N12, 172, 530, 420).
Although the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technology (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) are opposed to IPPIS, the government may push ahead with the scheme.
A top government official, who pleaded not to be named, said: “By implication, the government spends more on personnel than physical infrastructure in universities. The figure on personnel is actually disputable, going by recent experience in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
“For instance, when IPPIS was put in place in 16 MDA’s as a pilot project in 2010, the government was saving in excess of N12 billion on personnel cost.
“The university system cannot be isolated from this startling discovery. The government is determined to block all sources of finance leakages in payment system.
“With IPPIS, the universities will be placed under a central payroll system or financial system.”
Another source said: “The reports of various visitation panels to the universities have shown that the government must have more than a passing interest in the finances of universities.
“In some universities, dead staff, retired workers and unknown personnel are drawing salaries. This practice cannot continue.
“We have got to a level that we need to capture the biometrics of all staff and lecturers in the 32 universities so that we can use savings to develop these institutions.”
On the opposition of ASUU and others to IPPIS, the source added: “The government will still engage these unions on why they should support this scheme.
“Nobody is happy with the decrepit nature of our universities at all. We need to save cost for sustainable infrastructure in these institutions.”
SOURCE: The Nation, 22 March 2012. http://www.thenationonlineng.net
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