The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to delist the union from the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF) while calling on its members to gear up for fresh protests over unresolved demands.
The union described its inclusion in the FG loan scheme as a ploy by the government to conscript it as a “guarantor of loans it knows nothing about.”
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of ASUU’s National Executive Council meeting held at the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and signed by its president, Christopher Piwuna, on Tuesday.
ASUU maintained that rather than float loan schemes, the Federal Government should release the “withheld three and a half months’ salaries of its members,” which it said would be of more value to them.
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 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.
“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.”
Recall that the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, last week launched the TISSF – a zero per cent interest loan scheme for academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions to access up to N10m.
At the launch, Alausa listed eligibility requirements to include at least five years left before retirement and membership of recognised staff associations such as ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions.
ASUU, in Tuesday’s communiqué, also resolved to embark on nationwide protests to press home its demands, accusing the government of foot-dragging on outstanding issues.
The communiqué stated, “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.
“As part of the protest activities, Press Conferences would be held in all branches. The date for the said protests and press conferences would be communicated in due course.”
The union listed its unresolved disputes with the government to include the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, conditions of service, funding, university autonomy and academic freedom, as well as a review of the laws governing the National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
Other resolutions included the planned launch of the “Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution,” which it said would replace the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.
ASUU noted that products of the TITAS were already at an advanced stage, with universities showing interest in adopting the platform to support their operations.
