EXTRA: ASUU threatens to withdraw NITDA DG’s degree certificate over his comments on UTAS

The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to withdraw the degree certificate of Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Inuwa is a graduate of Computer Science of ATBU in Bauchi state.

According to Punch, Ibrahim Inuwa, chairperson of the ATBU ASUU, disclosed the union’s position in a statement he read at a media briefing on Thursday.

The union said it was reacting to what the NITDA DG said on March 9 about the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) failing three integrity tests.

Responding to the NITDA DG at the time, the national body of ASUU had accused him and Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, of misleading the public.

The NITDA DG, in a statement on March 26, had further explained that his earlier position was a call for the union to make the necessary improvements to meet the agency’s requirements.

However, the ATBU ASUU chairman said Inuwa’s earlier presentation of the issues surrounding UTAS did not show the attitude expected of an ATBU graduate.

“The union views the comments of the DG NITDA as highly misleading, unwarranted and totally unacceptable. It is a deliberate act to frustrate the deployment of UTAS,” he said.

“We observe that at the time the DG NITDA was making such statements (i.e. on 9th March, 2022), he was aware of a joint test of the UTAS application by the ASUU technical team and NITDA to iron out discrepancies in the initial NITDA report.

“The current test was arranged at a meeting involving NITDA, ministry of labour, ministry of education and ministry of communications and digital economy.

“To put the records straight, we are obliged to enlighten the public that UTAS was applauded and received positive commendations at different levels of government during its presentation to the leadership of the national assembly, joint committee of NITDA, office of the accountant-general of the federation, vice-chancellors and bursars of federal universities (end users).

“To say the least, UTAS has gone through seven different presentations. Reports from the previous test by NITDA scored UTAS 85% in user acceptance test.

“ASUU, therefore, wonders why agents of government are insisting on IPPIS in spite of its obvious weaknesses.

“We will, therefore, no longer tolerate the delay tactics of NITDA technical team and their collaborators for the endless test on UTAS.

“ASUU ATBU Bauchi is particularly sad that both the minister of communications, Isa Ali Pantami, and DG, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, are products of our prestigious university, known for its high standards of learning and discipline.

“The minister of communication and digital economy should be able to separate his official responsibility from his personal interest.

“It is our hope that there is no attempt by the minister and his agents to frustrate UTAS due to ASUU’s principled stand on the failure of his appointment as a professor by Federal University of Technology Owerri to satisfy the laid down rules and regulations governing such appointments of the university.

“The DG of NITDA is requested to retrace his steps to the path of truth and academic excellence for which the university had awarded him a degree, failure of which the union will be left with no option but to initiate the process of withdrawal of his degree certificate as an alumnus of ATBU, Bauchi.”