The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has told the House of Representatives that the Integrated Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and the University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System(U3PS) failed its integrity tests with respect to university payroll.
NITDA disclosed this to the lawmakers who invited the agency alongside the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to finalise issues related to the strike.
NITDA stated that the government directed it to test the UTAS in October 2020 and that the platform failed two integrity tests conducted by it.
NITDA said that following the first test, ASUU was asked to go back and review which it did. Yet the platform did not meet NITDA requirements the second time.
“For the 3rd time, NITDA was then asked to conduct tests on UTAS, IPPIS and U3PS, which all the 3 platforms failed its requirements regarding the payroll system of universities,” NITDA said.
The Speaker of the House, Gbajabiamila asked if NITDA advised the government to take action on the lapses found on IPPIS which has been in operation by FG since 2011, but NITDA responded that it was not in a position to do so.
NITDA also stated that it never queried the IPPIS platform.
Meanwhile, the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Folashade Yemi-Esan, said the Ministry of communications and digital economy wrote her office following NITDA’s observation about IPPIS on the need to take a holistic look at the platform, and that a committee was empaneled to carry out the assignment.
She said, “IPPPIS is not just a payment platform but that it also has a human resource component, which all government agencies have been directed to activate, noting that all those directly under her purview have since complied.”