The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Federal Government to delist the union from the newly introduced Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), describing its inclusion as an attempt to make the union a “guarantor of loans it knows nothing about.”
This demand was contained in a communiqué released after ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and signed by its president, Christopher Piwuna.
According to the union, the government should prioritize releasing the “withheld three and a half months’ salaries of its members” rather than floating loan schemes. ASUU stressed that such a move would have more practical value for academic staff.
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 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.”
Last week, the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, launched the TISSF, a zero-interest loan program allowing academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions to access up to ₦10 million. Eligibility requirements include at least five years left before retirement and membership of associations such as ASUU, SSANU, and NASU.
In its communiqué, ASUU also announced plans for nationwide protests to demand action on unresolved disputes. The statement read:
“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 pending disputes to include the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, improved conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and reviews of the laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Additionally, ASUU revealed plans to launch the Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution (TITAS) as a replacement for the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). The union said the TITAS initiative was already in an advanced stage, with several universities showing interest in adopting it for their operations.
What you should know
ASUU is Nigeria’s umbrella body for academic staff in public universities. The union has a long history of strikes and negotiations with the Federal Government, primarily over funding, salaries, and autonomy in the university system.
Its rejection of the TISSF highlights its insistence on salary arrears and structural reforms rather than government-backed loan schemes.
