The UTAS of ASUU Failed The Integrity Test- FG

The UTAS of ASUU Failed The Integrity Test- FG

The Federal Government said on Wednesday that it was still waiting for the Academic Staff Union of Universities, or ASUU, to upgrade and return the Universities Transparency Accountability Solution, or UTAS, which had failed an integrity test.

Kashifu Inuwa, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, revealed this while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Remember that on February 14, ASUU began a one-month warning strike in protest of the Federal Government’s refusal to accept UTAS as the payment platform to replace the Integrated Personnel and Payment Information System, IPPIS.

 

The Federal Government has argued that UTAS failed the requisite tests to qualify it for use as a payment platform, while ASUU has accused the government of being unwilling to accept its alternative to IPPIS.

When asked about the position of UTAS, which is one of the contentious issues that has led to the ongoing ASUU strike, Prof. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said he forwarded a letter from the Minister of Labor and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, requesting a review of the submission and the technical ability of the system’s software to the National Information Technology Development Agency.

According to him, “They (NITDA) conducted their own analysis, their own testing and sent same back to me, and I drafted a cover letter I forwarded to the Minister of Labour and Employment and I copied the two Ministers of Education, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and also office of the Accountant General of the Federation and even NUC (National University Commission)”.

The Minister however directed the DG of NITDA, who sat beside him to give the situation report on the matter.

Giving clarification on the position of UTAS, the NITDA DG said, “When we received the request to review, UTAS, you know, building complex system like UTAS that involves employees’ personal data, and also payment system, we have to subject it to do best practice tests before approving. Normally, when we are reviewing that kind of system, we perform three tests.

 

Vanguard