ASUU strike: Ngige Gives Update After Meeting With Buhari

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said that the integrity test carried out on the software proposed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities for the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAs) would last between six and eight months.

In protest against the chosen Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) of the Federal Government, ASUU has been on strike and wants UTAs instead.

Ngige disclosed that the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) was performing an integrity test on the program, speaking with State House correspondents on Tuesday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the minister, university teachers do not have the money to procure the requisite hardware for its implementation, even though the program passes the integrity test.

Ngige explained that the Federal Government did not make provision for the procurement of the UTAS hardware in the budget.

“I am waiting for the NITDA’s full report. The preliminary report they gave me shows the software integrity test will take them about six to eight weeks and after that, we go to the hardware.

“But the big issue is, who will provide the hardware?

“ASUU does not have the finances to do so. Has the government budgeted for it now as we speak? So, that one is a major problem. But we don’t have to dissuade anybody, we don’t have to tell anybody not to carry on, we like local content development, we need our things to be homegrown. So, we are really encouraging them,” Ngige said.