ASUU: FG releases N100bn tovarsities

The Federal Government on Monday
shared N100bn to the federal and state
universities as the balance of the
N200bn revitalisation fund for 2013.
Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike,
presented the allocation letters to the
institutions' vice-chancellors in Abuja,
where he urged them to spend the
money according to the NEEDS
Assessment report.
The N200bn was contained in the
Memorandum of Understanding signed
with the Academic Staff Union of
Universities in December to end the
almost six months strike.
The earlier N100bn had been disbursed
by the Governor Gabriel Suswam-led
committee that intervened in the
ASUU/Federal Government dispute
before Vice-President Namadi Sambo
and President Goodluck Jonathan
intervened.
Independent findings by our
correspondent revealed that the federal
universities shared 80 per cent of the
money, while state-government-owned
universities shared the remaining 20 per
cent.
Based on the NEEDS Assessment Report,
there are 27 federal universities, as
against 34 state universities. Some
states have two universities.
Wike, at the event, announced that the
ministry would convene a stakeholders'
forum at each of the six geopolitical
zones for all the Federal Government
owned tertiary institutions to give
account of their stewardship.
He, however, said the exercise would
not be an audit of their financial
expenditure, but a public sensitisation of
what the institutions had done with the
allocations.
He said, "It is imperative for the public
to know how much government is
investing in the country's tertiary
education and correct the impression
that it is neglecting the sector."
The exercise would begin from March 4,
with institutions in the North Central
Zone meeting at the Federal College of
Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State.
The South-South would follow on March
10, at the University of Port-Harcourt,
while that of the South East zone would
hold at the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, on March 11.
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, would
host the North-West zone, while
institutions in the South-West would
converge on the University of Ibadan on
a date yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, Wike told reporters that the
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and
their Colleges of Educatiion Academic
Staff Union counterparts would soon
suspend their strikes.