The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Port Harcourt chapter has also rejected the idea of a new tuition scheme by the Federal Government describing it as an attempt to commercialise public university education in Nigeria.

The Union's Zonal Coordinator, Uzo Onyebinama said the proposed scheme would deny the poor access to higher education if approved.

According to Punch, Onyebinama while addressing journalists on Thursday, September 28, 2018, said the Federal Government’s introduction of the scheme into the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU and the Federal Government’s agreement process was an attempt to blackmail the union before the Nigerian students.

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“ASUU believes that education is a public good and therefore, the union considers the proposal for an Education Bank and a Students’ Loan Scheme as a deliberate effort to commercialise public universities

“It is also an incentive for private universities to thrive and ultimately deny poor Nigerians access to university education.

“ASUU views the attempt by the government team to introduce the issue of Education Bank and Student’s Loan Scheme into the renegotiation of the 2009 Federal Government of Nigeria and ASUU agreement as an attempt to blackmail the union before the Nigerian students and the general public.”

ASUU rejects N500k school fee proposal for public universities

Recall that Prof. Lawan Abubakar, the Bauchi Zonal Coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities also said rejected the scheme describing it as a wild idea.

Abubakar also said the union rejected the idea on the ground that ''that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly states that funding education is the sole responsibility of Governments at various levels and not parents”.

He said added that the idea of education bank would not work in Nigeria because not all the students will have access to the loan.