The Congress of University Academics has said that loans are not substitutes for earned entitlements or a living wage, insisting that university lecturers require sustainable welfare measures, not access to credit.
CONUA stated this in reaction to the Federal Government’s launch of the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund, which provides eligible academic and non-academic staff with loans of up to N10m.
In a statement on Monday by its National President, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, the union acknowledged the initiative as a welcome development but warned that it should not distract from more pressing concerns confronting university lecturers.
“What the academic workforce truly needs at this time is sustainable welfare enhancement, not merely access to credit,” the statement read.
It added, “The economic reality in which academics live demands immediate, non-loan-based interventions. Loans are not substitutes for earned entitlements or living wages.”
Sunmonu listed a backlog of unresolved issues affecting university academics, including unpaid Earned Academic Allowance, three-and-a-half months’ withheld salaries, and promotion arrears.
Others are unremitted third-party deductions from April to June 2022, unpaid wage award arrears for 2023, and five months of outstanding minimum wage arrears.
