Seven weeks after the Federal Government announced that it has commenced implementation of the agreement signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, by disbursing N100 billion to each of the 59 public universities, the affected tertiary institutions have raised alarm that they are yet to receive the fund.

The Governor Gabriel Suswan-led Presidential Implementation Committee on Needs of Nigerian Universities was said to have sourced the fund within 16 days of its inauguration from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and other government agencies.

The committee thereafter adopted a sharing formula for each of the university based on student population and the depth of infrastructural decay.

The money was meant for the refurbishment/renovation and provision of new facilities such as hostels, lecture theatres and lecture rooms, laboratories and libraries in the universities.

Reacting to report that the money has been released to the universities, Vice Chancellor of one of the universities in the South East said “the Federal Government has only sent us a memo through the Ministry of Education that we are getting N650 million from the funds. Until we get alert into the university’s account, we will know how sincere the government is but presently we are yet to receive the money.”

Similarly, the Vice Chancellor of another university in the South West disclosed that the N1.2 billion earmarked for his university has not been paid either as cheque or cash into the university’s account.

It was gathered from the committee that 13 Federal universities have been left out of the initial disbursement. They are Federal University, Gashua; Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State; Federal University, Dutsin-ma, Katsina; Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State; Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State; Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State; Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State; and Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State. Others are FederalUniversity, Wukari, Taraba State; Federal University, Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State; Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, EkitiState; and Police Academy, Wudil.

Vanguard learnt that these universities were left out because they have just been established by the present administration between 2011 and 2013 which committed trillions of naira in their establishment and that there was no need for additional funding.

Five state universities that were also unlucky are: Bukar Abba Ibrahim University, Damaturu, Yobe State; North-West University, KanoState; Sokoto State University; Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode; Ogun State; Technical University, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Top five Federal universities that got the lion’s share of the money were: University of Ibadan, UI, with students population of 33,481 which got N3.250 billion; University of Benin, UNIBEN, with students population of 56,501 got N3.200 billion; Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, with students population of 49,436 got N3.200 billion; University of Port-Harcourt, UNIPORT, with students population of 53,288 got N3.050 billion; while University of Lagos, UNILAG, with students population of 49,179 also got N3.050 billion.

Also, the state universities that benefitted are: Ebonyi State University, EBSU, with students population of 23,437 got N3.050 billion; Niger Delta University, NDU, Wilberforce Island with 12,793 students population received N2.800 billion; Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina with students population of 4,753 received N2.450 billion; Gombe State University, GSU, with students population of 4,383 got N2.450 billion, whereas the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo with the highest students population of 90,885 among all the considered universities got N1.300 billion.

Danhumprey: Then where did the money disappear to?

wesley80: So why didnt they shout to the press also when they received and distributed 30billion amongst themselves? If this isnt evidence of their greed then i wonder what is. While money to revamp the education sector (the reason they supposedly are on strike) is still pending ASUU received and shared their 30billion and stayed mute about it so why would anyone be in a hurry to dole out more funds to a bunch of folks that seem to uphold avarice as a virtue?

take dat: Seems you are out to malign ASUU with half truths. When did ASUU receive the N30billion? The N30billion is still a promise just like the N100billion intervention fund. The same way it was reported that government released N100billion to the universities only for the VC's to claim two months after that they are yet to receive the money. Are you not aware that government has stopped their salaries?

wesley80: Sorry dude, you're terribly uninformed. That ASUU have disbursed a year's allowance to members is old news its been discussed a dozen times over on this forum and proven beyond reasonable doubt. Please do yourself a favour and get informed before throwing lame accusations.

chimex38: .

take dat: Purveyor of falsehood, Why not provide a link/source where it was reported that members of ASUU have received their allowance instead of this jejune reply? Wasn't it reported that FG had disbursed N100billion to the universities, which the VC's have now denied? Don't be a naïve, just because the government says it has released the money does not mean the lecturers have received it. This things take time and lots of bureaucratic challenges( it will have to pass through the CBN, Ministry of finance, Accountant General's office, budget office, ministry of education, NUC down to the universities). Provision was not made for the N30billion allowance and N100billion intervention in the budget or the Mid Term Expenditure Framework(MTEF), so government will have to source for the funds separately.

wesley80:
Feel free to continue wallowing in your ignorance. Ignorance they say is bliss afterall!

take dat: Seems you are out to malign ASUU with half truths. When did ASUU receive the N30billion? The N30billion is still a promise just like the N100billion intervention fund. The same way it was reported that government released N100billion to the universities only for the VC's to claim two months after that they are yet to receive the money. Are you not aware that government has stopped their salaries?

wesley80: So why didnt they shout to the press also when they received and distributed 30billion amongst themselves? If this isnt evidence of their greed then i wonder what is. While money to revamp the education sector (the reason they supposedly are on strike) is still pending ASUU received and shared their 30billion and stayed mute about it so why would anyone be in a hurry to dole out more funds to a bunch of folks that seem to uphold avarice as a virtue?

take dat: Just admit that you've been owned! Hypocrite!

FreeGlobe: why 650 million to a university in the south east and 1.2 billion to a university in the south west? After they will say igbos cannot stay in their region

taharqa: ASUU membas and Non-academic staff hv received their share of this #30bn. I can Personali confirm this, at least in UNIBEN. ASUU membas received only half of their Earned Allowance ie from 2009-2011 (sm like my Prof more than #1m) whilst d Non-academic staff were paid in full ie up to 2013..

take dat: Please brother, do not trade in lies. I asked that a link/source be provided to verify if any ASUU member admitted that he or she has received his or her allowance, and not conjectures or personal confirmation which cannot be publicly verified.

FreeGlobe: why 650 million to a university in the south east and 1.2 billion to a university in the south west? After they will say igbos cannot stay in their region

Also, the state universities that
benefitted are: Ebonyi State
University, EBSU, with students
population of 23,437 got N3.050
billion

Promhize:

Its been confirmed, u dumb a$$. Go research urself, if care to know

take dat: An empty of substance post from a muppet. Pity you couldn't come up with a direct link or source. Its a shame you folks with regimented group think feels that I am out to castigate the FG. I haven't said that the FG won't honor the promise(s) made, only that it hasn't be fulfilled unlike the lying @Wesley80 who claims lecturers have received their allowances yet failed to provide a credible source to verify the information.

SLIDE waxie: dnt kill urself cos we all heard N30b was disbursed as part payment for allowance being owed, and the news was here and aired.
U were either on facebook/2go or watching catoon network!

wesley80: Sorry dude, you're terribly uninformed. That ASUU have disbursed a year's allowance to members is old news its been discussed a dozen times over on this forum and proven beyond reasonable doubt. Please do yourself a favour and get informed before throwing lame accusations.

take dat: Please brother, do not trade in lies. I asked that a link/source be provided to verify if any ASUU member admitted that he or she has received his or her allowance, and not conjectures or personal confirmation which cannot be publicly verified.

alexleo:

Must you lie to support Jonathan? Didn't you read the news of how unilorin staff were quarrelling over how to share the 30 billlion eveb when they are not part of the ASUU struggle and ASUU told them that nobody is going to share the money until FG completes it? I have lecturer friends accross universities and NON of them have received any share of the earned allowances. You people can lie and its a shame. Jonathan came on media chat and told us that state universities have no conection with the ASUU strike but go to the link below and you ll see that state universities are going to benefit from this 100 billion naira. Horrible liars.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/ASUU-strike-re-yet-receive-n100bn-fg-vcs/

take dat: Please brother, do not trade in lies. I asked that a link/source be provided to verify if any ASUU member admitted that he or she has received his or her allowance, and not conjectures or personal confirmation which cannot be publicly verified.