Lecturers Reject FG’s Loan Scheme, Demand Payment of Outstanding Arrears

The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has firmly rejected the recently introduced Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), describing it as a distraction and a financial trap for its members.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National President, Ibeji Nwokoma, the union criticised the Minister of Education, Dr. Yusuf Tunji Alausa, for introducing the TISSF loan initiative, which is jointly funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

After thoroughly reviewing the TISSF proposal, NAAT stated:

“We view it as a distraction and therefore reject it. We wish to make it categorically clear that our members do not need a loan that will perpetually enslave them, as it amounts to taking their salaries in advance. There are NAAT cooperatives already in place to cater to the short-term financial needs of members.”

Instead, the union is demanding the immediate release of several outstanding financial entitlements owed to its members. These include:

• Payment of three and a half months of withheld salaries

• Seven months arrears of Occupational Hazard Allowance

• Third-party deductions for the two months of salaries that were recently paid

• 11 months arrears of Responsibility Allowance

• 12-month arrears of the 25% and 35% salary increase

• Four months of wage award arrears

• Outstanding N30,000 Minimum Wage payments to members omitted since the 2019 implementation

• Supplementary funds for payment of Earned Allowances claims

The union also responded sharply to the purported revocation of University of Abuja land by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, calling it a “unilateral and arbitrary action.”

“This action violates the laws governing the University, which require an amendment by the National Assembly for such a revocation to be legally valid,” NAAT stated.

They stressed that the land is a national asset allocated for future academic and infrastructural expansion—including new research centres, academic programmes, increased student capacity, and hostel development.

“The decision to revoke the land was made without proper consideration of the University’s master plan. This will distort its implementation and restrict expansion to only 4,000 hectares,” the statement read.

NAAT concluded by urging the Federal Government to redirect the TISSF funds toward settling the arrears owed to its members. It also called on the National Assembly, particularly its committees on tertiary education and TETFund, to intervene and compel the FCT Minister to reverse the revocation in the interest of national development.