The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the newly introduced Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund (TISSF), describing it as a distraction from the Federal Government’s failure to meet outstanding obligations to university lecturers.

The N10 million interest-free loan scheme, designed for academic and non-academic staff of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, was announced by the government to improve staff welfare and financial stability. But ASUU insists that what its members need is not loans but immediate payment of their withheld salaries and other entitlements.

At a press briefing held at Bayero University, Kano, the ASUU Zonal Coordinator (Kano Zone), Professor AbdulKadir Muhammad, said the union was particularly disturbed by the condition that members would need letters of introduction from ASUU leadership to access the loan.

“After thorough deliberation, ASUU resolved to distance itself from this charade. Our union was taken aback by a condition that requires our members to obtain guarantor letters from ASUU leaders before accessing the loan. This is clearly a ploy to make ASUU a guarantor to applicants,” Muhammad stated.

He argued that the logical guarantor for any loan applicant should be their employer, not the union.

ASUU instead demanded that the government pay its outstanding obligations, including 3.5 months withheld salaries, promotion arrears, arrears from the 25/35 percent salary consequential adjustment, and improved conditions of service.

Muhammad further called on the Federal Government to urgently conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement to avert another round of industrial unrest in universities nationwide.

He lamented that for over 16 years, the government had failed to review salaries or improve the working conditions of lecturers, leaving them “pauperized and demotivated.”

The ASUU coordinator also raised concerns about retired professors and senior lecturers who, according to him, have been unable to access their entitlements for more than a decade.

“The University Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act 2012 mandates that professors retire with their full salaries for life. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government has refused to implement this provision,” he said.

Muhammad added that the hardship faced by lecturers was further compounded by the rising cost of living, which he blamed on “ruthless IMF/World Bank-inspired neoliberal reforms.”

ASUU maintained that only concrete steps to address welfare issues and implement agreements with the union would prevent another nationwide strike.