ASUU Strike: Earned allowances paid to varsities, FG insists

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Saturday, insisted that the Federal Government had released funds for payment of earned allowances and revitalization to universities.

Buhari, who identified funding as a major problem confronting the Nigerian university system and as well the primary basis of incessant industrial actions in the ivory towers, said his administration had “consistently paid serious attention to the issue of university funding”.

The President, who was represented by a Director in the National Universities Commission, John Ahmadu, spoke at the 5th and 6th combined convocation ceremonies of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti where 2,599 students graduated across all the departments.

Buhari said his administration had handled funding issues in universities “through multiple sources, including education budgets across various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, but most importantly through the Federal Ministry of Education as well as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund. As a government, we will not relent on this commitment.

“We will continue to support the university system through improved funding and infrastructural development. In this regard, my government has repositioned the TETFUND to be able to address the infrastructural gaps in our tertiary institutions.

“As an evidence of our commitment to the welfare of university staff, the Federal Government recently released funds for the payment of Earned Allowances as well as the revitilisation of universities. We will continue to do more within available resources considering other competing national needs,” he said.