President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed that the Nigerian Government has budgeted the sum of N470 billion for revitalization and salary enhancements in the tertiary institutions in the 2023 budget. This has been an issue of contention by lecturers currently on strike as they negotiate with the Government.
Buhari disclosed this on Friday as he presented the proposed N20.5 trillion budget to the National Assembly.
He also noted that Nigeria must introduce a more sustainable model of funding tertiary education.
What he said:
Buhari noted that FG has noticed with dismay the crisis that has paralysed activities in the public universities in the country, citing that FG expects the staff of these institutions to show a better appreciation of the current state of affairs in the country.
“In the determined effort to resolve the issue, we have provided a total of N470.0 billion in the 2023 budget from our constrained resources, for revitalization and salary enhancements in the tertiary institutions,” he added.
He added that Government alone cannot provide the resources required for funding tertiary education.
“In most countries, the cost of education is jointly shared between the government and the people, especially at the tertiary level.
“It is imperative therefore that we introduce a more sustainable model of funding tertiary education.
He added that FG is committed to the implementation of agreements reached with staff unions within available resources.
“This is why we have remained resolute that we will not sign any agreement that we would be unable to implement. Individual institutions would be encouraged to keep faith with any agreement reached in due course to ensure stability in the educational sector.
“As human capital is the most critical resource for national development, our overall policy thrust is to expand our investment in education, health, and social protection” he added.
What you should know
In the 2023 Budget, FG’s total allocation to the Ministry of Education is N1,078,421,185,229, with personnel costs at N706,485,320,329
The National Universities Commission was allocated a total sum of N30,058,742,866
As the University of Ibadan allocated N19,285,892,943 and the University of Lagos at N22,371,948,501
Meanwhile, the University with the highest allocation is the University of Nigeria, Nsukka at N29,362,671,106