ASUU Strike: FG Agrees On N200b In 2014 Budget On Universities -

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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ASUU-strike-government-blinks-agrees-
spend-n200b-each-four-years-bring-
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