Towards ending the ongoing
ASUU strike, the Federal
Government has committed to
spending N200 billion in the
2014 budget on the universities
as well as on each of the next
three-four years until the
universities are brought to
world-class standard. This is in
addition to the N100 billion
dedicated and already made
available for 2013.
The government has also
increased to N40 billion as a
first installment, funds for the
payment of earned allowances
to the striking lecturers, an
improvement from the N30
billion previously released.
This information is contained in
an internal Federal University of
Otuoke statement by Professor
Bolaji Aluko, its Vice-
Chancellor, seen on Wednesday
night by SaharaReporters.
On the earned allowances, he
explained, “Government will top
it up with further releases once
universities are through with
the disbursement of this new
figure of N40 million, so Vice-
Chancellors are urged to
expedite this disbursement
within the shortest possible
time using guiding templates
that have been sent by the
CVC,” the circular said.
Professor Aluko said the
development followed meetings
on September 19 and Oct 11 of
representatives of the
Association of Vice-Chancellors
of Nigerian Universities, led by
CVC Chairman, Prof. Hamisu of
ATBU and ASUU
Representatives led by its
President, Dr. N. Fagge with the
Vice-President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, Arc.
Namadi. Sambo, Minister of
Education Barr. N. Wike and
others.
Of great interest to
stakeholders, Vice-President
Sambo, appealing to ASUU to
call off the strike, apologized
for the "take-it-or-leave-it"
comments credited to the
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala at the onset of
the strike. The Minister did not
seem to have been involved in
either meeting, perhaps as the
government’s way of soothing
the feelings of the university
teachers.
Other points of agreement at
the meetings include the
following:
Project Prioritization:
Universities will now be allowed
to determine their priorities and
not be “rail-roaded” into
implementing a pre-determined
set of projects with respect to
the NEEDS assessment.
Decisions are not to be
centralized.
TETFund Intervention:
Government assured that the
operations of the TETFund will
not be impaired, and that the
regular TETFund intervention
disbursement to Universities
will continue, unaffected. So the
NEEDS assessment capital
outlays are in addition to
regular TETFund intervention.
Project Monitoring: A new
Implementation Monitoring
Committee (IMC) for the NEEDS
Assessment intervention for
universities has been set up to
take over from the Suswan
Committee. The new one is
under the Federal Ministry of
Education and chaired by the
Honorable Minister of
Education. In addition, to build
confidence and ensure faithful
implementation and prevent any
relapse as before, the Vice
President will meet quarterly
with the IMC to monitor
progress.
Blueprint: ASUU was mandated
to submit a blue print for
revitalizing the Universities to
the Vice President.
Prof. Aluko further stated that a
signed document will soon be
issued to itemize the full issues
on which the consensus he had
outlined here, as brokered by
AVCNU, was reached.
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