Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) appear to be on a collision course again over the release of first tranche of monies meant for universities NEEDS implementation.
According to an agreement signed last December between the Federal Government and ASUU to end a prolonged strike that crippled academic activities for nearly six months in the university system, N20 billion is to be released to the institutions each quarter to meet their needs.
But now, while ASUU is alleging that the funds domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are yet to be released to begin the implementation process for the university NEEDS already identified, the Federal Government claimed that the funds are already being released to the affected universities instalmentally.
Special Assistant (Media) to the Supervising Minister of Education, Simeon Nwakaudu, told Daily Independent in a telephone interview in Abuja on Monday that the funds have already been released to those universities that have concluded their procurement process.
He noted that some ASUU top executives were co-opted as members of the implementation monitoring committee but that the actual implementation of the NEEDS as identified would be carried out by the various universities themselves.
According to Nwakaudu, government has started working out modalities to release the next tranche for second quarter, adding that as soon as other universities conclude their procurement processes funds will be released to them accordingly.
He accused ASUU of trying to introduce political sentiments into the disbursements, saying, “How can ASUU claim nothing has been released to the universities, ASUU is not the one implementing the NEEDS, the actual implementation has been left in the hands of the universities themselves”.
However, when Daily Independent contacted ASUU President, Nasir Fagge, he said he was not aware that any funds has been released to the universities regarding the NEEDS implementation, adding that he has not been briefed by his union.
Fagge, however, disclosed that the Implementation Monitoring Committee constituted prior to the end of the strike would be meeting this week to iron out contending issues.
He said part of the agenda of the proposed meeting would be to get the report of funds domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria, amount that has been released and those still pending.
“People are quick to blame ASUU but we as a union always give government ample opportunity to prove themselves in such cases.
“I will be in a much better stand to brief you on this issue after the implementation monitoring committee which some of us are part of meets this week,” Fagge added.
Also at a forum in Abuja on Monday, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Julius Okojie, said funds disbursement for NEEDS identified within the university system would be closely monitored by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
Okojie, however, added: “If 50 per cent of the funds is given, until the institutions retire that, before they can get another. If the university does not retire how it used the 50 per cent, it cannot get another”.
He spoke at a meeting with officials of the World Bank and the 10 African Centres of Excellence.
He also noted that there are regulations regarding the utilisation of the NEEDS Assessment Funds.
Meanwhile, 10 Nigerian universities have emerged World Bank Centres of Excellence (CoE) in a keen competition by 18 universities in Africa.
Each benefiting universities would receive a minimum of $8 million in grants for various researches.
He expressed appreciation that Nigeria alone was able to win 10 CoEs out of the 18 meant for the continent.
Okojie assured that the NUC was ready to support and monitor the institutions in their research to ensure success, so that Nigerian universities would again benefit in the second phase.
“We are also pleading with the university system to ensure that there are no distractions to the projects,” he said.
After the meeting, Okojie and representatives of the World Banks and the CoEs paid a courtesy call on Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike.
Wike, who said he was overwhelmed by the feat achieved by the institutions, appealed to the media to ensure that “such good news” about the country gets prominent placement in news outlets.
“So, why are we saying Nigeria is not doing well, if research proposals from our institutions got us 10 CoEs? This is what should be on the front page, not only negative stuff,” Wike said.
Some of the universities include Redeemers University, Mowe in Ogun State, African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
Others are University of Jos, University of Benin, University of Port Harcourt, Obafemi Awolowo University, Bayero University, Kano, and Benue State University, Markurdi.