Tension Looms: ASUU Kicks Against FG’s Loan Scheme, Hints At Nationwide Protests

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected its inclusion in the Federal Government’s newly launched Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), describing the move as an attempt to “conscript the union as a guarantor of loans it neither requested nor approved.”

This was contained in a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and signed by its president, Christopher Piwuna, on Tuesday.

ASUU argued that instead of introducing loan schemes, the government should settle its members’ withheld salaries, which it described as far more valuable than any credit facility.

The communiqué stated:
“NEC resolved to reject the ploy to drag ASUU into acting as a guarantor of loans it knows nothing about and demands that the union be removed from the process. NEC also insists on the immediate release of the withheld three-and-a-half-month salaries of ASUU members, rather than offering loans that provide little or no value to workers’ lives.”

The union accused the government of deliberately delaying the implementation of key agreements, particularly the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU pact.

It added: “NEC calls on the government to urgently conclude and implement the lingering renegotiation of the FGN-ASUU agreement, guided by the principles of collective bargaining, under the Yayale Ahmed-led committee.”

ASUU listed its unresolved disputes with the Federal Government to include issues of conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and the review of laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

At the end of the meeting, the union directed members nationwide to brace up for coordinated protests across all branches, accusing the government of neglecting critical issues.

“NEC discussed the state of the struggle and the government’s slow response to pressing concerns. Consequently, NEC resolved to organise simultaneous protests in all branches on a fixed date, alongside press conferences. The specific date will be communicated in due course,” the statement read.

Recall that the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, launched the TISSF last week—a zero-interest loan scheme allowing academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions to access up to ₦10 million. Applicants must have at least five years left before retirement and belong to recognised unions such as ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), or the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

Meanwhile, ASUU revealed plans to unveil a new accountability platform, the Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution (TITAS), which it said will replace the earlier University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). The union noted that the system was already at an advanced stage, with several universities expressing interest in adopting it.