The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is reportedly plotting to scuttle the Students Loan scheme launched by the President to help indigent students finance their tertiary education as well as skill acquisition trainings.
In an exclusive insight obtained by Podium Reporters from an ASUU insider, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, ASUU is very uncomfortable that despite its opposition to the student loan scheme from the beginning, the federal government was still determined to implement the programme.
ASUU leadership both at national level and at some zonal chapters have not hidden their opposition to the Tinubu administration’s Student Loan Scheme. As far back as November 2022, the National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke at the national summit on tertiary education reform kicked against the Student Loan bill still before the national assembly then describing the scheme as inimical to the welfare of poorer students.
Having failed to stop the bill from being signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ASUU stepped up its opposition to the programme by alleging that the student loan scheme was a ploy by the federal government to starve universities of funding. ASUU later also bizarrely claimed that the student loan act is designed to enrich owners of private universities in the country. ASUU did not substantiate how that would be possible considering that the act itself explicitly stated that only students of public tertiary institutions would be beneficiaries of the loan scheme.
Few days ago, ASUU came out again to reiterate its opposition to the student loan scheme, this time around it said that the scheme is an avenue to plunge students into perpetual indebtedness, advising government to instead help students through grants and scholarships.
While speaking to Podium Reporters, the ASUU insider said, “ASUU is doing everything possible to frustrate the implementation of this student loan programme for their selfish reasons. If you are observant, all the reasons ASUU leadership both at the national and local chapters have been giving for their opposition to the loan programme are laughable and baseless. They are devoid of any strong logic.”
“The truth of the matter is that ASUU simply wants the old way of doing things to continue since it benefits us. ASUU has never been interested in the welfare of the students, we just use students to camouflage. If you analyse all the industrial actions that ASUU usually embarks on, they will put one or two demands that suggests they care for the students but the main issue is always the selfish interests of the lecturers, which is not totally bad since ASUU is a union of lecturers.
“When you hear ASUU claim the scheme will put students in indebtedness, be rest assured that it is not coming from a place of concern for the students or their parents but from an unstated fear by ASUU that this loan scheme may signal the beginning of government reduction in funding of public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. ASUU has echoed this much in recent times”, the insider noted.
Speaking further, the ASUU insider said, “some of us in the Academia are tired of the direction ASUU is heading to and many of us are considering switching to CONUA. Imagine ASUU leadership telling its local chapters to be harping on the erroneous impression that the student loan scheme will enrich private university owners when it was clearly stated in the student loan law that the loan is meant to be accessed by students of public institutions only. This shows you the desperation of ASUU to frustrate the scheme.”
“The truth is that ASUU want FG to continue pumping money into the system, that means more free money for ASUU members who are HODs, Deans etc to embezzle without need for much accountability since it’s government money or part of national cake. They don’t want a situation where public universities will be told to charge students cost-reflective fees, which may mean reduction in the free money that comes from the government per session.
“If ASUU is serious about improving quality of tertiary education in Nigeria, we must first fight for transparency in the use of the subventions the federal government gives universities as well as the IGR our schools generate. But that is not the case. Most times more than 50% of these monies disappear into the pockets of individuals many of whom are our members. So, who is deceiving who?”
“So, I can tell you confidently that ASUU’s opposition to the student loan scheme has absolutely nothing to do with its love for students but out of selfishness and refusal to move with changing times. ASUU want tertiary education to be continuously subsidised and also claim they want the quality of education and facilities in our universities to improve. ASUU cannot love the students more than their pockets. Have you ever seen where ASUU protests against preventing students who couldn’t afford to pay their fees from taking exams?
“They will not talk when students get carry overs because of school fees but now that a scheme is in place to help students access money to pay fees and also buy books or just feed, you see ASUU trying to protect the students from indebtedness. The students are not complaining, why will ASUU cry more than the bereaved. That tells you that ASUU’s opposition is not about the students.
“It is funny but unfortunate to hear ASUU bring in issue of repayment of the loan by the beneficiaries and lamenting that because there is high rate of unemployment, it will be difficult for them to get a job and repay the loan. It shows ASUU do not even understand the essence of the loan scheme. If a student did not graduate because of unavailability of funds, is this not even worse as the individual may not have the skills to even get a job. Meanwhile ASUU is not seeing it from the angle that students can graduate and become self employed, build businesses and employ others due to the knowledge they acquired, which may not be possible if they dropped out because of funding. ASUU is simply restricting the need for education within the confines of getting employed by government or other corporate bodies. I think ASUU needs to evolve and adapt its thinking to modern economic realities.
“Let me also reveal to you that ASUU is not relenting in its opposition to this scheme. Already it has declined to be part of the management of the student loan scheme. The Act includes an ASUU representative as part of the membership of the student loan steering committee headed by the CBN Governor. ASUU wrote the CBN Governor to state that the union is not going to be part of the committee. You can imagine the extent ASUU wants to go.
“I think the ASUU leadership believes that since the Act clearly mentioned ASUU as a statutory member of the committee, if they decline to be part of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund steering committee, the committee won’t be deemed properly constituted and thereby its activity would not take off. There are also clandestine plots by ASUU to frustrate the implementation of the programme at the University level when students apply for these loans. Some ASUU members even suggested hacking the student loan portal. This is really desperate of ASUU I must confess”, the insider concluded.
As the student loan portal goes live, it will be interesting to see how the actual implementation of the scheme progresses and how any challenges that may arise are addressed by the steering committee. Already, the Executive Secretary of NELFUND, Akintude Sawyerr has noted that the entire process will be technologically-driven and devoid of human interface so as to minimise corruption or abuse.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on its part have solidly backed the student loan scheme and have warned ASUU to stop opposing the student loan scheme. They however called for the inclusion of the body in the management of the student loan scheme since students are the intended beneficiaries of the programme.