N727bn intervention funds allocated to varsities, polytechnics, colleges in 4 years ― FG

THE prolonged strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) might disenfranchise millions of Nigerian students, who registered around their schools if it is not called off before February 16 Presidential election and subsequent ones.

This is as the Federal Government has revealed that it has allocated over N727 billion intervention fund to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), in the last four years.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, while briefing newsmen during the weekend in Abuja, however, assured Nigerians that the strike would be called off before the general elections.

He said the Government team led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige has reached an agreement with ASUU and that it was hoped that academic activities would resume in universities campuses across the country without further delay.

He also announced that in the coming weeks, visitation panels would be inaugurated into universities while raising concerns over misappropriation of funds by heads of tertiary institutions.

Adamu said: “I cannot end this address without commenting on the ongoing strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).

“First, I wish to sincerely commend the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) for calling off their strike to allow our children in Colleges of Education to get back to classes.

“Government will reciprocate this gesture by fulfilling all terms of agreement reached with COEASU,” he said.

On ASUP, the Minister said government has virtually resolved all issues and awaiting the Union to also call off their strike in the coming days.

He specifically noted agreement was reached with ASUP in the following areas; review of Polytechnic Act; revitalisation of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education; state owned polytechnics allowances and salary shortfalls; and renegotiation of 2010 agreement.

He said government is committed to the revitalization of facilities in its public tertiary institutions and has directed the Minister of Finance to source for additional funding to the tune of N30 billion for the purpose, with particular reference to Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

Adamu who noted the focus of the briefing was on Federal Government’s intervention in critical areas of tertiary education in the life of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in the last four (4) years, insisted that appreciable progress has been made on infrastructural development in tertiary instructions in Nigeria.

He said: “During the period under review, the Federal Government through the instrumentality of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) allocated a total of N727,225,862,128.86 worth of investment in critical areas of infrastructural development in our tertiary institutions.

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“This is especially in physical infrastructure, project maintenance, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) support, Entrepreneurship, Library development and special high impact projects, Academic Staff Training and Development, and Research, among others,” he said.

He noted that the TETFund intervention was aside from other sources of funding tertiary education such as the Needs Assessment intervention projects, internally generated revenues of these institutions among others.

Giving the breakdown of the funding efforts by the Federal Government, the Minister disclosed that in 2015, each public university (Federal and States), was allocated N337,000,000 of the 74 universities bringing the total allocation to public universities N24,938,000,000) for that year.

In 2016, each public university was allocated 1,009,410,000 of the 74 institutions bringing the total allocation to public universities to N74,696,340,000) for year 2016.

Also, in 2017, each public university was allocated N659,150,000, of the 74 universities, bringing the total allocation to public universities to N48,777,100,000.00) for 2017.

According to the breakdown provided by the Minister, in 2018, each public university in the country was allocated N785,823,700 of the 74 universities, bringing the total allocation to public universities to N58,150,953,800.00 for year 2018.

He added that the total allocations to public universities during the period under review (4 years) therefore, stands at N206,562,393,800.00, total allocation to Polytechnics N103,173,317,108 while colleges of education had N101,631,304,500.

The States’ owned Universities got a total allocation of N74,620,416,900 during the period under review.

Meanwhile, Adamu expressed serious concern of the Federal Government over the lack of accountability in some of our tertiary institutions.

He, however, warned that the Federal Government would not fold its arms to watch public educational institutions funded from the public purse to flout the laws of public accountability.

“I want to put every stakeholder in this regard on notice, that, in the coming weeks, the Federal Ministry of Education under my watch will roll out visitation panels to all tertiary institutions to deal with this ugly phenomenon,” he said.