The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected its inclusion in the Federal Government’s newly launched Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), warning that the move could trigger fresh industrial action.
In a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and signed by its President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, on Tuesday, the union described the scheme as an attempt to “conscript ASUU as guarantor of loans it knows nothing about.”
ASUU insisted that instead of introducing loan facilities, the government should focus on paying withheld salaries, which it argued would be of far greater value to its members.
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 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 union also accused the Federal Government of deliberately delaying the renegotiation and implementation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, stressing that unresolved issues include 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).
ASUU directed its branches nationwide to prepare for simultaneous protests and press conferences, with dates to be announced soon.
The Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, launched the TISSF last week. The zero-interest loan scheme allows academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions to access up to ₦10 million, provided they have at least five years left before retirement and belong to recognised staff unions.
Meanwhile, ASUU disclosed plans to unveil a new accountability platform, the Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution (TITAS), designed to replace its earlier model, UTAS. The union said the new system was already at an advanced stage, with several universities indicating interest in adopting it.