Lecturers in the Bayelsa State owned Niger Delta University, Ammassoma have staged a peaceful protest around the university campus against the recently introduced Federal Government Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund loan scheme.
They also described loan as a deliberate generational bondage of the university lecturers as they have tied the student
with education loans.
The ASUU-NDU, after an emergency meeting on Tuesday, staged a peaceful protest, accusing the Federal Government’s persistent neglect of its long-standing demands and agreements.
The protesting lecturers were armed with placards with inscriptions such as “Federal Government should sign 2009 renegotiated agreement”, “Federal Government should release already budgeted funds for revitalisation of public universities”, Sustainable funding of our universities” and “Pay 25%,35% wage awards”.
The Chairman of the ASUU-NDU, Comrade Lucky Bebeteidor Oyinkepreye,said the protest is to impress on the Federal Government that they are playing with our sensibilities with the proposed loans and unfulfilled agreements.
He said despite the subsisting 2009 agreement reached with the Yayale Ahmed Committee set up by the Federal Government, the Federal Government has refused to heed to the terms of agreement.
He said the lecturers have resolved that the Federal Government does not need to give lecturers loan because in every chapters of ASUU nationwide, there are existing cooperatives from which lecturers can draw loans,” In NDU alone, we have two cooperatives which we can take loans from if need be.”
“The FG does not even need to give us loan.A loan that is not even budgeted for.A loan that they want to use to divert monies from the TETFund to give to Academics.We don’t want loans. They should just pay our outstanding 25 per cent and 35 per cent wages awards.”
“This also goes to the State Government.They should pay us the remaining 19 months owed. The salary increase is what we want not loans.”
He called President Bola Tinubu to take a second look at the proposed loan scheme for lecturers, saying it is a diversionary ploy by the Federal Government to impoverish lecturers,” they have succeeded in making our children (students) take educational loans for studies.Now they want to enslave the parents (lecturers) with loans.”
