FG Distributes N200bn to Universities

The Federal Government distributed N200 billion to all the public universities in the country yesterday, to fulfil their agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) following their seven-month strike which ended last December.

 

Nyesom Wike, the Supervising Minister of Education, distributed letters of fund allocations in a meeting with university Vice Chancellors in Abuja, and urged the VCs to use the money for infrastructural development, with all the funds to be used within this year.

 

The Government had agreed to pay N200 billion for university renovations in 2014, with the same amount allocated for the next four years until the universities were brought to world standard.

 

"It is imperative for the public to know how much government was investing in the country's tertiary education and correct the impression that it was neglecting the sector,” said Wike.

 

He revealed that the exercise will begin next month with the North Central Zone at the Federal College of Agriculture, Makurdi, followed by the South East zone at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, while University of Port Harcourt will host the South-South, Ahmadu Bello University will host the North West and those in the South West would converge at the University of Ibadan.

 

The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government spent N225 billion on universities in the 2013 budget, of which N67 billion was spent on federal polytechnics; N44 billion on federal colleges of education and N39 billion on federal colleges.