UNILAG ASUU Rejects FG Loan Scheme, Calls It a ‘Greek Gift’

The University of Lagos chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has strongly opposed the Federal Government’s proposed loan scheme for lecturers, dismissing it as a “Greek gift” and stating that its members have no interest in such an arrangement.

The decision was made during a special congress held on Tuesday, where members reiterated their backing for the strategies and ongoing actions of the union’s national leadership in pushing for their demands. The congress also unanimously endorsed the steps being proposed at the national level to ensure the union’s objectives are met.

During the session, ASUU members staged a march across the UNILAG campus, from the Main Gate to other strategic points, voicing their displeasure over the government’s plan.

Speaking at the gathering, the Branch Chairman, Prof. Idowu Kehinde, argued that the government’s loan proposal was unnecessary if lecturers were properly compensated.

According to him, “The Federal Government is asking our union to guarantee these loans. That is not needed. Each university’s Governing Council already has the capacity to provide loans to staff under existing conditions of service. What lecturers truly need is a living wage and the payment of all allowances as agreed. If these obligations are met, no lecturer would be chasing loans. Let the government fulfil its promises, and we will have no issue.”

The union stressed that the real solution lies in the government meeting its financial responsibilities to academic staff rather than offering loan schemes.