The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the Calabar Zone has voiced strong opposition to the Federal Government’s new student loan program, labeling it a scheme designed to burden Nigerian students with perpetual debt. The loan program officially launched last Friday, with 3,764 students from 126 institutions applying on the first day.
While the government asserts that the loan initiative aims to ensure that no Nigerian youth is denied higher education due to financial constraints, ASUU’s Zonal Chairperson, Dr. Happiness Uduk, argues that the program will have severe negative impacts. Addressing a press conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Uduk stated that those who previously benefited from scholarships and subsidies are now imposing loans on students, resulting in long-term debt and potential consequences such as depression and suicide.
Uduk, supported by ASUU National President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, contends that the government should provide bursaries and direct funding to higher institutions instead of loans. She called for a renegotiation of the agreement between ASUU and the government to reflect current economic conditions and establish a fair salary structure for university lecturers.
Additionally, Uduk condemned the unchecked establishment of new universities without adequate funding, advocating for the consolidation and proper equipping of existing institutions. She urged the Federal Government to implement the 2020 ASUU-FGN Memorandum of Action, which calls for a review of the NUC Act to control the excessive creation of universities.
On the ongoing minimum wage negotiations, the ASUU Calabar Zone urged the government to engage in collective bargaining to address the declining socio-economic conditions in Nigeria.
