The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the Federal Government’s N10 million loan initiative for tertiary institution workers, warning that it would mobilise nationwide protests over unresolved demands.
The union, in a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, on Tuesday, described its inclusion in the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF) as a “ploy to conscript ASUU as guarantor of loans it knows nothing about.”
Signed by ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, the statement insisted that what its members needed was not loans but the release of their withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries and the conclusion of renegotiations on welfare and conditions of service.
“NEC resolved to reject the ploy to conscript ASUU as ‘guarantor’ of loans the union knows nothing about and demands that ASUU be delisted from the process.
NEC also resolved to press for the release of the withheld three-and-a-half-month salaries of ASUU members instead of loans that will add little or no value to their lives,” the communiqué read in part.
The Federal Government had last week launched the TISSF scheme, a zero-interest loan programme for academic and non-academic staff in tertiary institutions, with eligibility pegged on at least five years left before retirement and membership of recognised staff unions, including ASUU.
But the lecturers’ union said the scheme was a diversion from more pressing issues, accusing government of deliberately foot-dragging on its agreements.
Consequently, ASUU announced plans to embark on simultaneous nationwide protests across its branches, with press conferences to follow in the coming weeks.
The union also listed outstanding disputes with the government, including:The renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement ; review of conditions of service ; adequate funding of universities ; protection of university autonomy and academic freedom, and a review of laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
In addition, ASUU disclosed plans to launch a new payment platform — the Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution (TITAS) — as a replacement for the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
The union stated that TITAS had reached an advanced stage and had already attracted interest from universities across the country.
With this latest move, tension appears to be mounting in the education sector as another face-off between ASUU and the Federal Government looms, raising fears of fresh disruptions in Nigeria’s public universities.
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