The implementation of the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund (TISSF), a support loan scheme of the Federal Government of Nigeria to staff of tertiary institutions, has been flagged off by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, with the formal presentation of cheques to selected beneficiaries who applied for the scheme at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). The event held at the Council Chamber of the institution on Wednesday but in his speech, titled “The Fulfillment of A Promise”, Dr Alausa said “Today is a great day, a day where policy transitions from paper to people.
“We are not only distributing loans; we are witnessing the concrete fulfillment of a core promise made by the President under the Renewed Hope Agenda, to prioritise and improve the welfare of those who form the bedrock of our future-our educators.”
The minister said that when the current administration unveiled the Nigerian Education Sector Renewed Initiative (NESRI) months ago, it made it clear that it would move with speed by directing the Ministry of Education to ensure that the staff of Nigerian institutions of higher learning (universities, polytechnics and colleges of education) are not just recognised for their sacrifice, but materially supported.
To fulfill the mandate, he said “We are proud to announce that the TISSF, which provides zero-interest loan of up to ten mil- lion naira (N10,000,000.00) capped at 33.3 per cent of your annual gross salary, to meet essential needs like housing, healthcare, transportation, and small business development, has moved from planning to full implementation in just four months.”
Commending the effort of staff of tertiary institutions (teaching and non-teaching) to nation- al development through teaching and research activities, he said “We appreciate your effort towards nation building by investing intellectually in our youth who are the future of tomorrow.
“Our nation’s future is not in the ground, but in the intellect of our citizens. Our goal is to transform Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. “To achieve this, we must have a strong, motivated and dignified work- force in our tertiary institutions. The President is delivering for our tertiary institutions, for welfare, for productivity and for the future.”
To the beneficiaries, Dr Alausa said “To the more than 9,000 academic and non-academic staff who have started to receive their formal offer letters under TISSF, I offer the Federal Government’s heartfelt congratulations. “You are the inaugural beneficiaries of this strate- gic scheme. He said that the loan is more than a welfare.
