A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Education Advancement Initiative (EAI), has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure immediate release of 600 Billion Naira this year as revitalisation fund for the public universities in Nigeria.
The NGO said the timely release of the funds will ensure that deteriorating infrastructure at the universities campuses are rehabilitated, as well pay the outstanding liabilities to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities,(ASUU), None Academic Staff Union of Universities among others to forestall disruption of academic calendar by the unions.
The group, which also accused government officials of clandestinely plotting to destabilise public Universities in favor of privately owed which they have vested interest, decried the none release of N300 billion universities revitalization fund captured in the 2023 Appropriation Act, but was not accessed due to the failure on the part of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to release the monies to the benefiting institutions, insisting that the N300 billion provided for in the 2023 appropriation Act be roll -over and anther N 300 billion for 2025 be release this year to carter for the long neglect which the university system has suffered.
Director, Programme, Education Advancement Imitative , Dr. Abimbola Tobi, who spoke to newsmen over the weekend in Abuja, blamed government functionaries, particularly officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General’s Office, of a deliberate plot to sabotage public university education and promote private ones which they owed or have vested interest in.
Tobi, advised President Tinubu against abandoning the needs assessment scheme designed to provide funds for the reinvigoration of public universities, particularly rehabilitation of decaying infrastructure as well as the provision of state-of-the-art teaching and learning equipment to the schools.
He added that the president whom he acknowledged has made significant statements towards revamping the education sector to release funds for the projects to ensure stable and quality academic environment.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government in 2009 reached an agreement with ASUU for the provision of 1.3 trillion on annual tranches of N220 billion over a period of 5 years as intervention funds for the revitalization of universities.
He urged the federal government to provide a special emergency fund to tackle this problem, instead of waiting for an envelop budgetary system.
According to him, due to long time neglect, infrastructure at the public universities have decayed so much that only the release of 2023 and 2025 amounting to N600 billion will be reasonable to complete ongoing projects and under take new ones.
