President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday approved the disbursement of over 320 billion Naira as intervention funds to all tertiary institutions in Nigeria for 2023.
However, the executive secretary of the polytechnics commission, the National board for technical education, NBTE Idris Bugaje, immediately criticized the disbursement, insisting it is less than 0.2 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP and a far cry from accrued 2.5 percent education tax.
Adequate funding of tertiary institutions has been a major challenge for the Nigerian government and a major bone of contention for strikes by academic and non-academic staff.
Since TETfund establishment in 1993, intervention funds have been disbursed yearly, yet poor funding bedevils the country’s institutions
Another disbursement of 320 billion naira is being shared for 2023…
Each university gets one point one five billion. Naira
Each polytechnic gets six hundred and ninety nine million naira and each Colleges of education gets eight hundred million naira.
According to the Federal Government, the disbursements are the highest since 1999.
President Muhammadu Buhari has however received commendations from the education ministry permanent secretary, Daniel Adejo the executive Secretaries National Universities Commission, Abubakar Rasheed and the Colleges of education commission, Paulinus, but the NBTE executive secretary, Idris Bugaje reacted differently.
Bugaje also advocate for equality in the disbursement of the funds
Stakeholders have also appealed to President Mohammadu Buhari to assent to the Finance Bill, before the end of its tenure, which makes Education tax 3 percent.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
