KEY POINTS

• ASUU rejects tertiary loan scheme as mockery of staff welfare.

• Lecturers demand salary renegotiation instead of interest-free loans.

• Union warns of possible boycott of government meetings.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has rejected the Federal Government’s newly introduced Tertiary Institution Loan Scheme, describing it as an insult to university workers and a mockery of Nigeria’s higher education system.

Launched by the Ministry of Education, the scheme promises interest-free loans of up to N10 million, with a five-year repayment period and one-year moratorium, aimed at boosting staff welfare and financial stability.

But ASUU leaders say the initiative is not a solution to their long-standing grievances, including poor pay and unfulfilled agreements.

At a press conference in Uyo, Calabar Zonal Coordinator Ikechuku Igwenyi, a senior lecturer at Ebonyi State University, said the loan scheme is another attempt to distract lecturers from pressing for better working conditions.

The Calabar zone includes eight universities, among them the University of Calabar, University of Uyo and Abia State University.

Lecturers demand salary reform over loan promises

Igwenyi questioned why a government that has refused to renegotiate the 17-year-old university salary structure since it was due in 2012 would now offer loans instead of addressing wage arrears and deductions. He argued that no sensible worker would take out loans for daily survival if adequately remunerated.

He accused the government of “puerile duplicity” in setting up renegotiation committees and signing multiple agreements without implementation. According to him, initiatives such as NELFUND and the loan scheme are tools of “blackmail and distraction” rather than genuine efforts to improve welfare.

According to Punch, ASUU also faulted the requirement for staff unions to serve as guarantors for the loans, saying it imposes unfair responsibilities on them. “Why not use those funds to pay salaries and improve wages?” Igwenyi asked.

The union warned that it would boycott future meetings with the Federal Government if no meaningful progress is made, signaling a possible escalation in the dispute.