FG releases N200b to varsities

Federal Government on Monday disbursed N200 billion to Vice Chancellors of public universities in the spirit of recent agreement between government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to begin the implementation of NEEDS identified within the sector.

ASUU had last week alleged that the Federal Government was dragging its feet on the pledge to commit the funds into the university system, citing undue delays in the release of the first quarter tranche of disbursement to the universities.

The NEEDs assessment and implementation report in which areas of intervention were identified in the public universities accounted for the protracted strike by ASUU in 2013.

Federal Government had in a bid to resolve the impasse with the union promised to inject N200 billion annually to the sector within a four-year timeframe, beginning from 2014.

Nyesom Wike, Minister of Education

Monday’s disbursement was coordinated by Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, at a meeting with the Committee of Vice Chancellors at the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja.

Wike tasked the universities on judicious use of the funds to improve infrastructure in the schools, adding that an accountability system would be introduced from March to enable all the universities showcase how the funds were used.

“All the tertiary institutions would give an account of funds allocated to them to let the public know what the government is doing to improve the education sector.

“It was imperative that the public know how much government is investing in the country’s tertiary education and correct the impression that it was neglecting the sector,” the minister said.

The accountability system, which is expected to be conducted in the six geo-political zones of the country, would begin from March 4.

It would kick off with the North Central zone at the Federal College of Agriculture, Makurdi.

The South East zone would converge at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, on March 11, while University of Port Harcourt would be host to the South South zone on March 10.

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, would host the North West zone while the South West zones would be conducted at the University of Ibadan (UI) on dates to be announced subsequently.

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education released its consolidated report for 2013, where all the Federal Universities were allocated N225.070 billion, Federal Polytechnics got N67.411 billion, Colleges of Education, N44.288 billion, while the Unity Colleges were allocated N39 billion out of the N437 billion budget for 2013.

The report unveiled by the Supervisory Minister of Education also indicated that capital project allocations to educational institutions under the FME, such as Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Teachers Institute (NTI) collectively spent N51.148 billion.

Recurrent expenditure for the year under review stood at N385.88 billion.

On basic education delivery for 2013, only five states were able to access their matching grants from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

Federal Government budgeted a total of N38.5 billion to states as matching grants in 2013, with a total of N170 million granted to each state for teacher professional development.

Over N11 billion went into the procurement of textbooks for basic education.

Another report from Abuja said the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) on Monday blocked the gate of the Federal Ministry of Education, preventing vehicles from moving in and out of the premises to protest the over eight months’ strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).

The association, which said the demonstration was the beginning of a massive protest by all polytechnic students and those of allied institutions that award Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates, insisted that they will remain on the street until the Federal Government meets the demand of polytechnic lecturers and the strike is called off.

National President of NAPS, Ogbonnaya Sunday, speaking on behalf of the students upon arrival of the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, at the venue of the protest said: “Sir, it is no longer news that for over eight months now the Academic Staff Union have been on strike and we the students are always on the receiving end because when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers.

“Sir, you and I know that an idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop. The students of the polytechnics and other allied institutions awarding OND and HND, we have been at home.

“And we are prone to criminality and our students are prone to prostitution and other social vices that are not of good benefit to our dear nation.

“And today sir, we are here to say that we are tired of staying at home. We have made frantic effort to ensure that we resolve this issue on the roundtable without having to drag it to the public domain.

“But such effort did not see the light of the day. And today, that is why the poly students came to air their views and let the whole world know that they are tired of staying at home.

“Sir, let me draw your attention back. We were supposed to have embarked on this protest in July 6, 2013 but it was aborted not because we wanted to, but because we wanted peace and believe in dialogue.

“Again in January 15, 2014, we planned to do the protest, it was aborted, not because we don’t have the capacity to take over the entire street of Abuja, but we still believe in dialoguing, that was why we went back into our shell.

“But now sir, this protest we must continue it until we are told to go back to our various campuses. We have sent signal all our polytechnics and other allied institutions as from tomorrow (today) we are taking over the whole of Abuja until we are told to go back to our campuses,” the students leader told Wike.

And responding, Wike said: “We really appreciate and thank you and your colleagues for the way you are carrying out the protest in a peaceful manner.

“Whether we like it or not, protest is one of the ways you can express your views. Nobody is happy that our students are at home.

“We are really worried about the situation. The President is not happy at all that ASUP is on strike, colleges of education are on strike.

“I want to assure you that nobody will disturb you on what you are doing. But be rest assured that the government is doing everything possible to resolve the issue.”