ASUU Rejects Federal Government’s Loan Scheme, Calls It a ‘Poisoned Chalice’
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the Federal Government’s newly introduced Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), describing it as a “poisoned chalice” that would only push university workers further into debt.
Speaking after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said the scheme was ill-conceived and a diversion from addressing the pressing issues bedeviling Nigeria’s higher education system.
He explained that rather than meeting its obligations to university staff, the government was offering loans as a substitute for proper funding and welfare.
“The loan scheme is nothing but a bait. Our members should stay away from it. What we demand are our entitlements—payment of outstanding salaries, improved conditions of service, and proper funding of our universities. A government that owes us cannot turn around to offer us loans,” Prof. Piwuna stated.
The ASUU leader also faulted attempts to enlist the union as a guarantor for the loan, insisting that ASUU must be completely delisted from the process.
He accused the government of attempting to use financial palliatives to mask its failure to honour past agreements, including the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
According to the union, key issues such as salary arrears, revitalization funds for universities, and respect for collective bargaining agreements remain unresolved, yet the government has chosen to introduce a loan scheme as a quick fix.
Prof. Piwuna warned that this approach erodes the principles of fair negotiation and undermines the welfare of university staff.
The rejection of the staff loan mirrors ASUU’s long-standing opposition to student loan initiatives, which the union has argued are unsustainable in a country battling high unemployment. In the past, ASUU has called for grants instead of loans, insisting that education should be funded as a public good rather than turned into a debt trap.
With tensions escalating, ASUU hinted that another nationwide strike may be imminent if the Federal Government continues to ignore its core demands.
The union maintained that only genuine commitment to funding education and fulfilling agreements will stabilize the nation’s university system.
