In a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, and signed by its President, Christopher Piwuna, ASUU demanded that the Federal Government immediately delist the union from the scheme.
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 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.”
The Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had launched the TISSF last week, promising zero per cent interest loans of up to ₦10 million for academic and non-academic staff in tertiary institutions. Eligibility, however, required membership of recognised staff associations including ASUU, SSANU, and NASU.
ASUU, however, insists that government should prioritise the release of withheld salaries, conclusion of the renegotiated FGN-ASUU agreement led by Yayale Ahmed, and address long-standing issues of funding, university autonomy, and conditions of service.
The communiqué further disclosed that ASUU would embark on nationwide protests across its branches to press home its demands.
“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. Press Conferences will also be held in all Branches,” the union declared.
ASUU also announced plans to unveil its new accountability platform, the Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution (TITAS), as a replacement for its earlier University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). The union said TITAS was already at an advanced stage of development, with universities showing interest in adopting the platform.
