The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected its inclusion in the newly launched Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), describing the move as a government ploy to conscript the union into guaranteeing loans it knows nothing about.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and signed by its president, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, on Tuesday.
ASUU insisted that rather than offering loans, the Federal Government should address lingering welfare issues by releasing the “withheld three and a half months’ salaries of its members,” which it said would be more valuable than the loan scheme.
The communiqué 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. NEC also 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.”
The union further accused the Federal Government of foot-dragging on unresolved issues such as the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, and academic freedom. It also called for a review of the laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
ASUU announced plans to embark on nationwide protests across its branches, with simultaneous press conferences to press home its demands. The date for the protests is expected to be communicated soon.
Recall that the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, last week unveiled the TISSF — a zero per cent interest loan scheme that allows academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions to access up to ₦10 million. Eligibility requirements included having at least five years left before retirement and membership of recognised staff associations such as ASUU, SSANU, and NASU.
In its communiqué, ASUU also disclosed plans to launch a new accountability platform, the Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution (TITAS), which it said would replace the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). The union explained that the TITAS project was already at an advanced stage, with several universities showing interest in adopting the platform to strengthen financial transparency in their operations.
