‘Banks Help Us With Soft Loans’- Enugu ASUU Members

Banks have been magnanimous to the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, especially those in Enugu State, our correspondent gathered on Tuesday.

THE WHISTLER reports that the university teachers have been on strike since February this year following the failure of the federal government to fulfil the agreement it signed with ASUU.

It was further gathered that the university lecturers have not been earning their salaries since the strike began under the federal government’s policy of ‘no work, no pay’. Some of the lecturers who spoke with our reporter in Enugu said the spirit of their quest makes them firm in their resolve to fight to finish.

Dr Emeka Aneke, a lecturer at Enugu State University of Science and Technology, said, “This is the first strike that we suffer with joy. The resolve is that the right thing must be done. Yes, it has not been easy, but even our students have realised that the FG erred.

“My wife is working, so she has been of great help to me. I also had to adjust my living style to be commensurate with what we have.”

A lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on condition of anonymity, said, “Banks have been my help. They easily advance soft loans to ASUU members. It can be in form of overdraft. So, we want the strike to continue.

“Politicians want to ruin the public education sector. Some of them already own private universities, some send their children and wards overseas and so on. ASUU simply wants increased funding of university education.”

Another lecturer at UNN said, “I teach fine and applied arts. I have used the time of the strike to embark on carvings which I sell at exhibitions. When I run into financial problems, I approach my bank for loan. I operate at a community bank within the campus, so money is not the problem. My salaries are paid through the bank, so they know that whenever our backlogs come, they deduct the amount I owe them in a manner that won’t be injurious to me.”

Jennifer, married to a lecturer, said, “I advise husbands to build their wives economically. At a time like this, empowered wives will rescue the situation. I sell foodstuffs at Ogbete Main Market. My husband supported me to start the business, so the business has become our fallback. At least feeding is not the problem.”