By Mahdi Waziri Isa
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Federal Government to remove the union from the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF) loan scheme, labeling its inclusion as a deceptive tactic to involve the union in a program it does not support.
This stance was articulated in a communiqué released after ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, signed by ASUU President Christopher Piwuna on Tuesday.
The union criticized the government’s approach, arguing that instead of introducing loan schemes, it should prioritize clearing the “withheld three and a half months’ salaries of its members,” which would provide more tangible benefits.
The communiqué firmly stated, “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.”
It further urged the government to expedite the renegotiation of the FGN-ASUU agreement, led by the Yayale Ahmed committee, emphasizing adherence to collective bargaining principles.
The union also pressed for the immediate release of the withheld salaries, dismissing the loan scheme as offering “little or no value” to its members.
Last week, the Federal Government, through Minister of State for Education Dr. Tunji Alausa, unveiled the TISSF, a zero-interest loan program allowing academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions to access up to N10 million. Eligibility criteria include having at least five years until retirement and membership in recognized associations like ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, or the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions.
ASUU’s communiqué also announced plans for nationwide protests to highlight unresolved issues with the government, accusing it of delaying action on critical matters.
“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,” the statement read.
Key unresolved issues include the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, improved conditions of service, increased funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and reforms to the laws governing the National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
Additionally, ASUU revealed plans to launch the “Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution” (TITAS), a new platform set to replace the University Transparency and Accountability Solution. The union noted that TITAS is at an advanced stage of development, with several universities expressing interest in adopting it to enhance operational transparency.