ASUU Condemns Proposed Student Education Loan

Udeme Utip in Uyo

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Calabar Zone has condemned in its entirety the proposed Student Education Loan by the federal government.

Addressing a press conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, the association described the loan as not only, “strangulating” but having the capacity of subjecting the benefiting students to slavery, perpetual debt, depression and possible suicide.

The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Dr. Happiness Uduk, flanked by all the Chapter Chairmen of the zone said it was disheartening that the people who attended schools on scholarship, enjoyed meal subsidies, bursary awards among others were the ones making some of the obnoxious policies, saying that the union would not relent in opposing such policies.

In a statement jointly signed by the eight union Chairpersons, the association reasoned that instead of giving loans for students’ education; the federal government could use the money for interventions in higher institutions, saying such would bring about positive turnaround of events that would make the institutions self-reliant with highly subsidised tertiary education in the country.

“It is disheartening that people who attended schools on scholarship, enjoyed meal subsidies, free laundry services and bursary awards are the same running our economy today.

“Their Children are on scholarship in the best foreign universities in the world but after siphoning our economy, they turn around to impose a strangulating Education Loan in tax payers’ Children that they will be enslaved and remain indebted to the country forever. They do not mind the devastating effect of  this scheme on the country such as depression, suicide, and colossal loss of intellectuals.

“To this end, we vehemently condemn the idea of Education Loan and state clearly that using the money for intervention in higher Institutions will bring about a positive turn-around of events that will make our institutions self-reliant with highly subsidised tertiary education in Nigeria.”

The union also called on the federal government to come to a renegotiation table and  reconvene a committee to review the agreement reached by ASUU leadership and Prof. Nimi Brigs-led Government committee with the view of adjusting the document  according to the current economic realities so as to have acceptable salary structure for university lecturers.

The union also condemned the indiscriminate proliferations of universities in Nigeria without adequate funding by both the federal and state governments noting that 2020 ASUU-FGN Memorandum of Action (MoA) which stressed the need to review the NUC Act to make it more potent in arresting the reckless and excessive establishment of universities be fully implemented.

 “We urge the President Tinubu-led administration to refrain from further proliferation of universities and rather consolidate on the already existing ones. What we need are universities that are adequately equipped and empowered to address the challenges confronting Nigeria not glorified schools,” the statement added.

 On the ongoing minimum wage negotiation, the ASUU Calabar Zone urged FG to immediately deploy the instrumentality of collective bargaining to conclude the social dialogue saying that such would lessen the invasive decline in the socio-economic lives of Nigerians.