By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) , University of Calabar Branch(UCB) has described the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund ( TISSF) loan as a bait meant to incapacitate Universities Cooperative societies.

ASUU made the call during a press briefing at their Secretariat at the University of Calabar on Tuesday adding that members were already neck deep in debt occasioned by too many loans and wouldn’t be needing another burden.

Briefing journalists, the Chairperson, ASUU- UCB, Comrade Peter Ubi said this government still owes their members three and half month salaries for work done stressing that all they need was for government to sign their renegotiated agreement, which will increase their purchasing power and decrease reliance on loan.

His words, “Our members are already neck-deep in loans. All we need is for government to sign our renegotiated agreement, which will improve our purchasing power and decrease our reliance on loans from cooperative societies.

“This government still owes our members 3½ months salaries for work done. Government should use the money set aside for the loans to defray our withheld salaries.

“Members are advised to stay away from the loan and focus on our legitimate entitlements because it is a bait, and will incapacitate university-based cooperatives societies.

“It is glaring that after deducting the union dues, NHIS, pension contribution, and maybe your co-operative deductions nothing would be left for family. How does a debtor give loans to its creditors?, ” he said.

While commending the government on placing moratorium on establishment of new universities, ASUU maintained that Federal Government should have taken their advice long ago by stopping the proliferation of mushroom universities without clear cit development plans.

“Government should have long taken our advice and put a hold on establishing mushroom universities with no clear-cut development plans. Sadly, establishing universities has become compensation for political patronage.

“So, ASUU was not surprised when the Hon. Minister of Education stated that over 30 universities had zero subscription for admission.

“Ironically, the same government that announced a seven-year moratorium proceeded to announce the establishment of nine new private universities.

“While ASUU acknowledges the rights of private individuals to establish universities, education must be thoroughly to ensure quality.

“We have 72 Federal, 108 State Universities, 159 Private universities bringing it to a total of 339 Universities, giving each state and the FCT an average of 9 Universities, excluding Polytechnics/Colleges of Education.

“So why not place a moratorium on both public and private institutions? University administrations and the regulatory agency (NUC) must equally share in the blame for wrong staff-mix, as highlighted in the Minister’s pronouncement,” he stated.