ASUU SHED LIGHT ON UTAS SAYS THEY ARE STILL IN TALKS WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Academic staff union of universities (ASUU) released a press statement through its national secretariat at the University of Abuja today 13th of march 2022 shedding light on the University Transparency and Accountability System, while they claimed that ASUU passed 77 per cent on its face value test and 85 per cent in user acceptance test. emphasizing that those cannot be recorded as failure. The full press statement reads:

”The one-month roll-over strike declared by our Union on 14th February. 2022, has entered the fourth week. During this period. we have been having engagements with the government over the contending issues that necessitated the action. One Of the contending issues is the deployment of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) which is a robust software created by ASUU Technical group to manage and payroll in the university system. The Federal Government had referred UTAS to NITDA (National Information Technology Development Agency) to conduct user Acceptance Test (VAT) and Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Test (VAPT) prior to the final deployment. The process which commenced on Thursday. 3rd March. 2022, is still on-going.”

“This press statement is necessitated by the need for ASUU to put the records straight on the grounds already covered in our patriotic struggle to get the government to deploy UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our university system. Of particular concern to us is the statement credited to both the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy and Director General. NITDA to the effect that UTAS has failed the integrity test. Let us put it on record that an integrity test was carried out by NITDA on 10th August, 2021 in NUC where relevant government agencies and all the end-users in the University system were present. At the end of the exercise, all, without exception, expressed satisfaction with UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our universities. This was attested to by the report coming from NITDA then to the effect Out scored 85% in User Acceptance Test (UAT),”

“However, in a curious twist of submission. the NITDA Technical Team. after conducting a comprehensive functionality carne out to say that out of 687 test cases. 529 cases were satisfactory, 156 cases queried, and 2 cases were cautioned. Taking this report on its face value. the percentage score is 77%. The question that arises from this is can 77% in any known fair evaluation system be categorized as failure? Suffice it to say here that some observations and questions were raised by• NITDA to which UTAS technical team has to provide clarification.”

“As we speak, our engagement with NITDA over the second round of testing continues. The Union is worried that while this is going on, the Minister and the DG, NITDA went to press after FEC meeting of Wednesday, 9th March. 2022, to mislead the nation that UTAS has failed the integrity test. We wish to draw your attention to the fact that NITDA gave a report to the fact that NITDA gave the report that UTAS did Well in both the integrity test and acceptability verification. Clearly, 85% and 77% are high class grades in any known evaluation system. In their desperation to justify their false assertions, they threw up issues such as Data centre and hosting Of UTAS software which are clearly outside the rubrics of ASUU's responsibilities in the deployment of UTAS.”

“ASUU and NITDA are still engaged in the testing process. It is pertinent to note that one of the core mandates Of NITDA is to encourage local content development. Therefore, NITDA has to discharge its responsibility to ensure that this Solution developed by Nigerian academics is deployed In doing so, the principles Of transparency should be adhered to by making available to the public the set Of criteria Or benchmark for certification Of information technology application in Nigeria.”

“The DG NITDA should stop making comments that are capable of jeopardizing the joint on-going testing Of UTAS between the NITDA Technical Team and its counterpart in Our Union. However. if this behaviour continues, we Will have no choice but to demand that the NITDA Technical Report on UTAS and our Union's response be made public in order to shed more light On the ongoing controversies without further waste Of time. The DG NITDA and the Minister superintending the agency are challenged to a public discussion on any national media to put all matters to rest for the Of our students, union members, and the Nigerian Public in general.”