The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected its inclusion in the Federal Government’s Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund, describing the move as an attempt to drag the union into a loan scheme it “knows nothing about.”
In a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and signed by its president, Christopher Piwuna, ASUU argued that the initiative was a ploy by government to “conscript the union as a guarantor of loans” instead of addressing long-standing issues.
The lecturers insisted that rather than float new schemes, the Federal Government should release the withheld three and a half months’ salaries of its members, which it said would provide greater relief to workers struggling under current economic conditions.
ASUU also urged members to brace for fresh rounds of nationwide protests, stressing that the government had failed to meet several outstanding demands, including adequate funding of universities and the implementation of past agreements.
“The union views this development as a distraction and a deliberate ploy to avoid addressing core issues affecting the university system,” the communiqué read.
