The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has formally urged the Federal Government to remove the union from participation in the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF).

This stance was announced in a communiqué released after ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, which took place at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto.
The statement was signed on Tuesday by ASUU President, Professor Christopher Piwuna.
According to the communiqué, the NEC strongly rejected what it described as an attempt to conscript ASUU as a “guarantor” for loans about which the union claims no prior knowledge or consent.
It emphasised that ASUU must be delisted from the TISSF process immediately.
The NEC further called on the Federal Government to expedite the conclusion and implementation of the prolonged renegotiation of the FGN-ASUU agreement, currently handled by the Yayale Ahmed-led committee.
The union stressed that this renegotiation should be guided by the principles of collective bargaining.
Highlighting the union’s priorities, the communiqué noted that the NEC had resolved to press for the immediate release of the three-and-a-half months of salaries currently withheld from ASUU members.
The union rejected the government’s loan scheme, arguing that such loans would provide minimal or no tangible benefit to academic staff compared with receiving their rightful salaries.
This position comes in response to the Federal Government’s recent launch of the TISSF, announced last week by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.

The scheme offers zero-interest loans of up to N10 million to tertiary institutions’ academic and non-academic staff. Eligibility requirements, as outlined by Alausa, include having at least five years remaining before retirement and membership in recognised staff associations such as ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).
ASUU’s communiqué also addressed the broader state of the ongoing struggle with the government.
The NEC criticised the slow pace at which the Federal Government has addressed the union’s longstanding concerns.
In response, the union resolved to organise nationwide protests across all branches on a coordinated date.
As part of these activities, press conferences will be held in each branch, and the exact date for these actions will be communicated in due course.
The union reiterated that its unresolved disputes with the government encompass a range of critical issues, including the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, conditions of service, adequate funding, university autonomy, and academic freedom.
ASUU also highlighted the need for a comprehensive review of the laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
In addition, the union announced plans to launch the “Tertiary Institutions Transparency and Accountability Solution” (TITAS), a platform intended to replace the existing University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
According to ASUU, the development of TITAS is already at an advanced stage, and several universities have expressed interest in adopting the platform to improve administrative and operational efficiency.