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UK University Adjusts Payment Plans For Nigerian Students—-The federal government has announced that Teesside University in the United Kingdom (UK) has introduced a more flexible payment scheme for its Nigerian students.

This update was shared by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, during a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja, ahead of the National Diaspora Day Celebrations 2024 on July 25.

Previously, Teesside University’s change from a seven-installment to a three-installment payment plan had exacerbated financial difficulties for many Nigerian students.

On May 22, 2024, several Nigerian students at the university were ordered to leave the UK due to delays in paying their tuition fees, a consequence of the naira’s devaluation impacting their ability to meet financial obligations, thus breaching visa sponsorship requirements.

Students faced severe consequences including being locked out of their university accounts, reported to the Home Office, and mandated to leave the UK. The university cited strict external regulations as the reason behind these actions.

Sixty affected students expressed their distress, criticizing the university for its perceived lack of support. They united to seek assistance from the university to avoid facing harsh penalties for late payments.

In response, the Federal Government intervened on May 29, 2024, to address the deportation orders. A delegation, including Nigerian Embassy representative Amb. Christian Okeke and leaders from the Nigerian Students Union in the UK, met with the university’s management to seek a resolution.

Providing an update, Dabiri-Erewa stated that while students must still pay their fees, the new arrangements are intended to be more manageable. For those near completion of their payments and facing expulsion, an agreement was reached allowing them to complete their payments and receive their certificates once fully paid.

“Teesside University has introduced a more compassionate payment method. The students are still required to pay their fees, but the process is now more convenient. Those close to finishing their payments, who were told to leave, will receive their certificates once all fees are settled,” she explained.

Dabiri-Erewa also noted that this issue extends beyond Teesside University, affecting Nigerian students in various other institutions. She emphasized that NiDCOM is working closely with student organizations in the UK and the Nigerian Mission to tackle these challenges.

Highlighting the broader issues driving Nigerian migration, she cited economic instability, security concerns, and inadequate living standards as primary factors. This year’s National Diaspora Day theme, “Japa Phenomena and its Implications for National Development,” addresses the growing migration trend among Nigerian youth.

“Economic instability, security concerns, and inadequate living standards are major reasons for the exodus of Nigerians abroad. This phenomenon leads to a decline in strong human resources, primarily affecting the youth, which in turn impacts labor and productivity in Nigeria,” Dabiri-Erewa stated.

Despite these challenges, she urged a shift in perspective, encouraging Nigerians to celebrate the positive contributions of those in the diaspora.

“We need to turn our lemons into lemonade. Today, we celebrate the vibrant Nigerians making positive impacts abroad and contributing to national development,” she concluded.

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Education

Why We Reject IPPIS, GIFMIS – ASUU

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Why We Reject IPPIS, GIFMISASUU—-The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has explained why it rejected two payment platforms of the federal government and insisted on University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), it created as alternative.

ASUU had rejected the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), a platform the Federal Government uses to pay no fewer than 789,000 of its workers in various sectors of the economy. ASUU members are also currently on the platform.

The union had also rejected Government Integrated Financial Management and Information System (GIFMIS), the platform the federal government recently approved that ASUU payment should transit to, with effect from November

In an exclusive interview the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, the ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said that the union’s stance is in line with the autonomy of the nation’s tertiary institutions.

According to him UTAS conforms with the statutory provision that the university’s finances should be managed by its Governing Council.

“ASUU’s position is that the finances of the university should be managed by the Governing Council. That’s what the law says. It does not says by the Accountant General’s office.

”Every year, the governing council directs the Vice Chancellor to defend its budget at the National Assembly.When the budget is approved including salary, remuneration, overhead, it will go to the President for assent and it becomes a law.

”That money should be released to the Governing council to pay its staff members. That is the autonomy of the university we are talking about, as stipulated in the law,” he said

Osodeke stressed that the universities should be given autonomy, to be able to plan for its staff members’ recruitment and how to pay their salaries.

He recalled that the Union rejected IPPIS because its implementation does not only erodes university’s autonomy but meddles with its internal affairs and violates Section 24A of the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act 2003.

Osodeke also faulted the recent guidelines by the federal government detailing the process for the formal exit of Federal Tertiary Institutions (FTIs) from IPPIS.

In a circular issued on Oct. 8, the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, said the payroll for FTIs in the month of October 2024 will still be processed on the IPPIS platform.

She added that, starting from November, the payrolls will be processed by the institutions themselves and then be checked by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation’s (OAGF)’s IPPIS department.

According to her, the payment will be made through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform.

Osodeke, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the directives, stating that the AGF was playing games with the union.

“GIFMIS is still an appendage of IPPIS. When you look at the circular, paragraph two says after universities have finished preparation, it will still come to OAGF IPPIS, for verification before it is paid by GIFMIS, which means nothing has changed.

”As at now, no university knows who is being paid what. IPPIS has been paying people who have been sacked, people who are non staff members and people who have left the university system.

“The Vice Chancellors cannot discipline any erring official.Even when you are being disciplined, the IPPIS or GIFMIS will still be paying your salary and that is what we are saying,” he said

Osodeke said the insinuation in certain quarters that ASUU was insisting on UTAS, its own developed solution, to shield lecturers teaching in more than one institution, was misconceived

According to him, the establishment Act of University permits lecturers to teach in two institutions, but with laid down guidelines

“As stipulates by the law, a lecturers can serve as adjunct in another university, they can also work as part time in another university.

”They can serve as visiting professor in another university and this is the practice all over the world.

”For example, if you have a Professor who is highly knowledgeable in a particular field working in one university and another university has no one to handle such programme, what will they do?.

‘”That university will approach the other and appeal to the lecturer to come and teach their students on part time basis, which might be once or two times in a month.

”The institution is not expected to pay full salary to the lecturer, but allowances for the part time job.That is what it is. It is in the law and it is all over.

Osodeke also explained that lecturers do go on sabbatical; meaning, a lecturer, who has taught for six years, could apply for one year leave to go to other university or institution to teach.

According to him, it is not a new development, but the only caveat is that the maximum number of university a lecturer can practice such is two.Teaching beyond two institutions is tantamount to breaking the law.

”It is a global standard and that is why we have visiting professors from London, Ghana, among others coming here to impact their knowledge.

”When you look at UTAS that we developed, any lecturer who has gone to sabbatical for more than the approved number, will be rejected automatically.

”Also, any lecturer who has not met the six years requirement for teaching and want to go on sabbatical leave would be rejected. All these have been built into the UTAS,” he said.

The ASUU President noted, that the lack of exchange of knowledge by lecturers from one institution to another was partly responsible for the low ranking of Nigerian universities in the global ranking assessment.

Osodeke also described as misleading, the claim by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) that UTAS had failed three integrity tests.

The ASUU President said UTAS is a credible and trusted payment platform that captures the inherent peculiarities in the country’s university system.

According to Osodeke, NITDA, in an earlier integrity test conducted on UTAS, had written a report scoring the platform, 97.3 per cent, but later recounted.

He insisted that in the tests conducted by the agency, IPPIS came a distant last to UTAS and wondered why the government insisted on using the IPPIS.

Osodeke said that ASUU’s planned strike notice over the payment platform and other issues was still standing but the union had only given the government space to conclude on the new renegotiation committee that was set up.

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Senate Passes Bill To Initiate University of Applied Science Kachia, Kaduna

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Senate Passes Bill To Initiate University of Applied Science Kachia, Kaduna—-The Senate has  passed a bill  to establish a Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, Kaduna  State.

This followed the adoption of a report of the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND on establishments of the university  at plenary on Tuesday.

The report was presented by the Chairman, Sen.Mohammed, Muntari (APC- Katsina).

Muntari in his presentation said  stakeholders at the public hearing on establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia Kaduna State supported the passage of the bill.

He said the school would help provide scientific knowledge to the improvement and solution of environmental hazard and provide exposure on professional studies in technology.

“The hallmark of the proposed Federal University of Applied Sciences, is to produce graduates well equipped with practical and theoretical grounded knowledge in technology, applied science, commerce and management.

“This will reduce risks and challenge of productivity, data and information, cost benefits, marketing and security bedeviling humanity.

“The establishment of the Federal University will reduce the ills around national economy and de-escalating chances of entrenching heinous criminal activities being perpetrated by men of the underworld.

“The knowledge and skills that would be acquired by the graduates from the envisaged Act of the National Assembly will definitely go a long way in expanding and deepening the horizon of the graduates in information management.

“It will consequently improve national integration and general social progress of the multicultural, young people of this country with yearning and aspiration to acquire skills in information, economic and science management.

He urged the Senate to consider and approve the report for benefit of humanity in general and Nigeria as a nation.

Similarly, Senate also at plenary passed a bill to establish the Federal University of Technology Ilaro in Ogun State.

The passage followed adoption of report of committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND

In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio thanked the  lawmakers for their contributions in  ensuring  passage the bills.

He expressed believe  that if the two bills are signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, the institutions would add to the country’s knowledge, increase in food production and also help the nation to move forward positively.

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