The College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has declared that it would not dictate to members whether to participate or not in the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund (TISSF) scheme recently launched by the Federal Government.

Through the scheme, workers in public tertiary schools in the country have the opportunity of obtaining free-interest staff loan to the tune of N10 million and to be paid back over some periods of time.

The union said it would leave members to decide what to do on the matter, citing some reasons for taking such a stand.

The National President of COEASU, Dr Smart Olugbeko, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune at the weekend.

He said COEASU took that decision because the staff loan in the first instance is not compulsory but optional for anybody to take and also because it involves adults who know what they really want.

He noted that many people including lecturers are really passing through difficult times in various forms today and they don’t have alternative means to address those concerns because their salaries are nothing to write home about.

According to him, government itself knows that it has pauperized workers who are being paid meager salaries over the years and still refused to increase same despite workers continuous agitation for increment.

He maintained that “After all, some people on their own go to bank or approach their staff cooperative societies to obtain loan when they need it.

“So, if we now have somebody, who is qualified for a loan that is without interest and you have a moratorium of one year before you start paying, and that you are to pay over a period of five years, we won’t want to stand against such an individual.

“We should know that if we choose to wait for salary increment which we don’t know when it will become a reality, it means it may not happen when the money is actually needed.

“So, that is the problem we are facing as government workers.

“The only thing is that if government now wants us to confirm whether this person or that person is our member and applies for a loan, we won’t hesitate to confirm such a person if truly he or she is our member.

“This is also because we believe as adults- fathers and mothers- with some up to 55 years or more, they know what they really want.”

Olugbeko, however, pointed out that COEASU taking this stance does not make the union to feel that government has done what it is expected of it as a responsible government for workers.

He lamented that the salaries they are earning today were what they had been earning in the last 15 years when one dollar was exchanged for N180 thereabout.

He noted that all efforts by COEASU to get government to increase their salaries to meet up with the economic realities- high inflation- were to no avail.

According to him, the last time government reviewed our salaries was in 2010 and with the agreement to do subsequent review every three year but since then till now, government has not been able to conclude the renegotiation with our union.

“The last time government came to have discussion with us on renegotiation was February 2024 and we submitted our demands while the government team promised to come back to us after meeting its principal but till now, it never did.

“That is the type of government we have been having- leaders, who are no truthful to their words.”

Olugbeko equally pointed out that one thing is clear, which is the fact that no lecturer in Nigerian tertiary institutions today could conveniently meet up with his or her family needs including healthcare and education bills let alone to afford a car or build a new small house with his or her salary.

He added that no staff cooperative society in Nigerian public tertiary educational institutions can be able to afford to give just N5 million loan to staff because workers contributions to such pool are no longer forthcoming as and when due because of poor salaries and that government is aware of all these.

“So, if your members are now telling you that you should please allow him or her to take the loan and only needs membership confirmation, we can’t stop such an individual to take such a loan,” he concluded. (Nigerian Tribune)