ASUU Rejects FG Loan Scheme For Tertiary Workers

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has dismissed the Federal Government’s newly introduced Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Loan Scheme, describing it as a “poisoned chalice” and a ploy to further impoverish lecturers.

ASUU’s Calabar Zonal Coordinator, Ikechuku Igwenyi, stated the union’s position at a press conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, on Monday. He argued that the scheme was imposed without consultation and does nothing to address the core issues affecting universities.

Igwenyi noted that the loan’s repayment terms were unrealistic, pointing out that even professors could not repay a ₦10 million facility within the 48-month timeline attached to it.

“They have succeeded in trapping students with NELFUND loans, and now they want to tie the hands and brains of their parents with another impossible loan scheme. We boldly reject it because it is nothing but a poisoned chalice,” he said.

The union accused the government of abandoning the 2009 agreement with ASUU and failing to review lecturers’ conditions of service for over 15 years. Igwenyi stressed that university workers remain grossly underpaid despite rising inflation, with many lecturers struggling with poor welfare, ill health, and even death due to financial hardship.

He further lamented that Nigeria’s universities are decaying, with obsolete facilities and inadequate funding for revitalisation, leaving both staff and students in dire conditions.

ASUU disclosed that it has been invited to a meeting with the Federal Government on August 28 to address the crisis. Igwenyi warned that the outcome would determine the stability of Nigerian universities going forward.

The briefing was attended by senior ASUU officials, including Happiness Uduk, immediate past Calabar Zonal Coordinator, as well as chairpersons of ASUU at Abia State University and Akwa Ibom State University.