By: Tunji Okunlola
The Federal Government says it has released N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions across Nigeria under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund, to address infrastructure deficits and improve teaching and learning facilities.
The beneficiaries are 79 universities, 46 polytechnics and 41 colleges of education. The Federal Ministry of Finance announced this in a statement on Sunday issued by its Head of Media, Efe Ovuakporie, saying the money will support approved projects in the institutions.
“The Federal Government has disbursed N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund,” the statement read.
According to the ministry, universities will receive N28.5bn, polytechnics N5.8bn and colleges of education N4.7bn. That puts universities at about 73.2 per cent of the total, polytechnics at about 14.9 per cent and colleges of education at about 12.1 per cent.
The ministry said the release is meant to tackle long-standing infrastructure problems in public tertiary institutions and to support the implementation of agreements between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“The intervention forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the needs of public universities and support the implementation of agreed measures under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities,” it stated.
The fund is designed to finance infrastructure improvements and other identified needs, particularly in public universities, where inadequate facilities have featured in disputes between the government and academic unions.
The ministry said the disbursement will allow institutions to start new projects or continue previously approved ones to improve their operational capacity.
“The funds are expected to enable beneficiary institutions to commence or advance approved projects addressing critical infrastructure and other identified institutional needs, with the overall objective of strengthening the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria,” the statement added.
The government also stressed coordination among the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education and the beneficiary institutions to ensure the funds are used effectively, and said this collaboration is needed to turn the money into measurable gains in infrastructure, capacity and learning conditions.
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