Nigerian Concord Newspaper
……Accuses govt. officials of withholding N300bn revitalization fund
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO),
Education Advancement Initiative (EAI), based in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has called for increased funding of the educational sector in order to improve the literacy rate among citizens for a peaceful co-existence and socio-economic development of the nation.
The group which also decried the none release of over N300 billion universities revitalization fund captured in the 2023 and 2024 budgetary provision by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, bemoaned the poor state of infrastructure in tertiary institutions, especially public universities across Nigeria.
EAI Executive Director, Higher Education Monitoring, Dr. Faseluake Oladikpe, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja, accused 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 owned or have vested interest in.
Oladikpe, said lack of funding of public universities by successive governments portends grave danger to nation development.
He said, the refusal of the government to release the university revitalization fund is gradually killing public universities, adding that infrastructure that could aid teaching and learning has become an eyesore in almost all the universities in Nigeria.
Oladikpe revealed that the organization, in July assessed public universities and in all the schools visited, deteriorating infrastructure and absence of necessary equipment were common problems.
He said, if public university education is allowed to collapse by way of government lukewarm attitude to funding, the country will suffer dire consequences as there would be increased crime rate precipitated by joblessness and lack of skill to engage in productive ventures by the young population.
Oladikpe, a trained educational psychologist insisted on the release of the revitalization fund and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly save the university system by directing the AG’s office to release the N300 billion captured in the budget to universities.
According to him, the Tinubu-led Administration’s Student Loan Scheme will amount to nothing, should the infrastructure decay in the nation’s citadel of learning remain unattended.
The EAI executive insisted on the implementation of the agreement the Federal Government entered with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Needs Assessment programme.
According to him, ASUU is deeply angered by the failure of the Federal Government to honour the 2009 Needs Assessment agreement aimed at providing N220 billion annually as an intervention fund for the revitalization of public universities in Nigeria.
He warned the president 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 appealed to the president to cause the immediate release of funds for the continuation of critical projects in the institutions being executed under the nerds assessment project.
According to him, the university community anxiously awaits the commencement of the projects.
Oladikpe advised 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 N220 billion annually as intervention funds for the revitalization of universities.
A review of the agreement was done in 2014. However, it is yet to be implemented resulting in the distortion of academic calendar in the ivory tower.