The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Federal Government to remove the union from the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund, warning its members to prepare for fresh protests over unresolved demands.
In a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council meeting at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and signed by its president, Christopher Piwuna, on Tuesday, ASUU rejected its inclusion in the government’s loan scheme, describing it as an attempt to conscript the union as a “guarantor of loans it knows nothing about.”
The union insisted that instead of floating loan schemes, the Federal Government should focus on addressing outstanding issues, particularly the release of its members’ withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries, which it said would be of greater benefit to them.
The communiqué read, “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 calls on the government to fast-track the conclusion and implementation of the lingering renegotiation of the FGN-ASUU agreement by the Yayale Ahmed-led committee, guided by the principles of collective bargaining.
“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.”
Last week, the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, launched the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), a zero-interest loan scheme that allows academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions to access up to ₦10 million.
At the unveiling, Alausa outlined eligibility requirements, including having at least five years left before retirement and being a member of recognised staff associations such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), or the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).
In its communiqué on Tuesday, ASUU resolved to embark on nationwide protests to press home its demands, accusing the government of dragging its feet on outstanding issues.
“NEC discussed the state of the struggle and the government’s slow pace in addressing the issues in contention. Consequently, NEC resolved to organise protests across all the branches simultaneously on a fixed date.
“As part of the protest activities, press conferences would be held in all branches. The date for the said protests and press conferences would be communicated in due course,” the communiqué read.
The union listed unresolved disputes with the Federal Government to include the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, conditions of service, university funding, autonomy and academic freedom, as well as a review of laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
