By Rafiyat Sadiq
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday intensified pressure on the Federal Government, announcing a nationwide rally scheduled for Tuesday, August 26.
The academic body also rejected the recently launched Tertiary Institution Staff Support Loan Scheme (TISSLS), insisting that it is a ploy to divert attention from unmet demands.
At a press conference at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Adeola Oyebisi Egbedokun, said the rallies would take place simultaneously across universities in the country, with lectures suspended during the demonstrations.
Egbedokun described the rallies as ASUU’s first major response to the Federal Government’s failure to honour agreements reached with the union. He warned that the protests could serve as a prelude to a nationwide strike if issues remain unresolved.
“For over two years, we have kept faith with dialogue and refrained from strikes, but our patience has reached its limit. If the government continues to play games with the future of our universities, then it must bear the consequences of the storm that will follow,” he said.
READ ALSO: “Fuel Price is Killing Our Hustle” Abuja Transporters
He added that the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) has given the government until August 28, when the union’s meeting will hold, to address its concerns, after which the union would decide on its next line of action.
Union Rejects ‘Slavish’ Loan Scheme
Meanwhile, in Uyo, the Calabar Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Ikechuku Igwenyi, joined by chairpersons of the union’s eight chapters, rejected the government’s TISSLS, describing it as a “poisoned chalice” and a ploy to divert attention from unmet commitments.
The scheme, which offers interest-free loans of up to N10 million to academic and non-academic staff of Nigerian tertiary institutions, was dismissed by ASUU as an insult to lecturers who are still being owed salaries, allowances, and arrears.
Igwenyi questioned how the government could propose loans while refusing to implement agreements dating back to 2009. He said such schemes only deepen mistrust, arguing that resources earmarked for the loans should have been directed toward resolving outstanding obligations, revitalising universities, and improving the welfare of staff.
He accused the government of repeatedly substituting genuine dialogue with distractions such as palliatives, blackmail, or half measures. “It insults our sensibilities that a government still paying on an outdated salary structure adopted 17 years ago would introduce a scheme like this instead of addressing our long-standing demands,” he said.
ASUU insisted that the rallies scheduled for Tuesday will show the depth of anger among university workers and serve as a clear signal that a nationwide strike looms if government fails to act.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
