The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticized the Federal Government’s newly introduced Tertiary Institution Staff Support Loan Scheme (TISSLS), calling it a distraction from the more pressing issue of signing and implementing the draft renegotiated agreement with the union.
The Federal Government recently unveiled the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund, an initiative designed to provide interest-free loans of up to N10 million to academic and non-academic staff in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Speaking at a press conference in Uyo on Monday, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Calabar Zone, Comrade Ikechuku Igwenyi—accompanied by chairpersons from the eight chapters within the zone, including the immediate past zonal coordinator, Comrade Happiness Uduk—questioned the government’s sincerity. He expressed disbelief that a government that has failed to meet its financial obligations to university workers and refused to implement the 2009 agreement with ASUU would now offer those same workers interest-free loans.
Describing the loan scheme as “slavish” and an affront to the dignity of lecturers, ASUU criticized the initiative as an insult rather than a solution. He argued that, instead of channeling funds into such schemes, the government should prioritize stabilizing the education sector through payment of outstanding salaries and improving staff welfare.
He said: “How can a responsible government, in the face of these debts owed university lecturers, turn around to ask university-based unions to take the responsibility of guaranteeing the loan they know nothing about?
“Which salary structure will be used for the repayment? Where will this huge amount government want to invest in this so-called interest free loan come from?
“They have succeeded in imposing NELFUND on the system and trapped students in a slavish loan that will cage the future of our children and having succeeded, they have turned around to tie the hands and brains of their parents with this impossible loan scheme.
“We therefore make bold to reject the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Loan and everything it represents because it has been described as a poisoned chalice.
“It insults our sensibilities that a government that pays her workforce with an outdated salary structure adopted 17 years ago, will refuse to renegotiate the same salary since 2012 it was due; refuse to pay third party deductions for salaries paid almost a year ago and arrears of promotion; constituted several renegotiation committees which produced many well-thought-out agreements with MOUs, MOAs and timelines without implementation.”
ASUU further lamented that each time the union pressed its demands and tried to bring government to a dialogue table, it would come up with teasers, blackmails and distractions such as “inauguration of new Renegotiation Panel, Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, salary award that is outside the principles of collective bargaining, palliatives, NELFUND and now, Tertiary Institution Staff Support Loan Scheme”. ASUU.
He highlighted some of the lecturers’ grievances to include: outdated salary structure, obsolete infrastructure, non-conducive learning environment, proliferation of universities without assured sources of sustainable funding for revitalization, research and development, undue interference and intimidations by visitors of universities, among others.
Igwenyi therefore called for immediate signing and implementation of the draft renegotiated 2009 agreement with ASUU, domestication and implementation of this agreement by respective visitors of state-owned universities, release and payment of three and half months outstanding salaries of members and the third party deductions by IPPIS.
ASUNN other demands include payment of promotion arrears and implementation of mainstreamed EAA in their salaries; review of the NUC Act to accommodate some of the lapses as have been pointed out; respect for the TETFund Act and an end to the abuse and misuse of TETFund monies to fund sundry expenses instead of research and academic development.
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