THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its proposed strike over Federal Government’s directive to enroll its members into the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

During the presentation of the 2020 Budget proposal before lawmakers on October 8, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed that any employees not captured on the IPPIS platform by Oct 31 would no longer be receiving their salaries.

In a phone interview on Thursday, ASUU President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the union had decided to maintain status quo, pending further meetings.

ASUU had at different fora rejected the deadline, stating that universities operated differently from the civil service and should, therefore, not be seen as appendages of ministries, departments and agencies of government.

Ogunyemi said: “What we have been saying is that the reaction of our members will depend on what happens in the government. Our members will meet at the appropriate time to take appropriate decision.

“The Senate has intervened in the matter and we are engaging the Senate, the Senate has appealed to us for now, When they pay other workers, they pay them also.”