By Muhammad Mamman
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dismissed the Federal Government’s proposed loan scheme for lecturers, branding it a “Greek gift” that members neither need nor want.
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter made its stance clear on Tuesday during a special congress, where members also pledged full support for the actions and strategies of ASUU’s national leadership in pressing for long-standing welfare demands.
Addressing members who staged a solidarity march across the campus from the Main Gate, UNILAG Branch Chairman, Professor Idowu Kehinde, said the government’s loan offer was unnecessary if it simply honoured existing commitments.
“If the Federal Government pays lecturers their rightful entitlements, there will be no reason for anyone to seek a loan,” he stated. “The idea that our union should guarantee these loans is misplaced. University Governing Councils already have the capacity to grant loans under our conditions of service. What we need is a living wage and full payment of allowances. Once that is done, no lecturer will be compelled to borrow.”
