The federal government has approved the exemptions of universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other tertiary institutions of learning from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, confirmed this on Wednesday while speaking to State House Correspondents at the State House, Abuja.

The disclosure comes days after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) laid complaints about the difficulties they have faced since the establishment of IPPIS in October 2006, blaming it for the problems universities face in the country.

According to Mr Mohammed, the FG considered that IPPIS does not aid the efficient functioning of tertiary institutions and, with respect to that, has granted university authorities and other tertiary institutions the ability to pay their personnel from their own end instead of relying on IPPIS.

“Today, the universities and other tertiary institutions have received a very big relief from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System. You will recall that university authorities and others have been clamouring to exempt universities and other tertiary institutions from this system,” the minister said.

The information minister, in his statement, asserted, “Today, the Council has graciously approved that. What that means is that going forward, the universities, as the Honourable Minister of Education has said, and other tertiary institutions, including polytechnics and colleges of education, will be taken off the IPPIS.”

Also, the minister of education, Tahir Mamman, clarified that the decision was made to ensure that tertiary institutions are properly managed, adding that “the president cannot understand why Vice-Chancellors should be leaving their duty post and running to Abuja to get staff enlisted on IPPIS when they get recruited.”