ASUU strike may end soon as FG approves N400 billion for universities

The federal government has approved the sum of N400 billion to be used for development of infrastructure in public universities within a period of four years as part of the efforts to transform the nation's universities to meet international standards.

The President of SSANU, Samson Ugwoke, disclosed this while addressing his union members at the SSANU National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the weekend at the University of Abuja.

The labour leader said: "Let me give you a tip on what the NEEDS assessment committee is doing. The president has approved that within the next four years; N400 billion would be expended in infrastructural development of Nigerian universities, to transform the universities to international standard.

"N100 billion has already been raised by Suswam committee out of which 61 universities have been pencilled down, as contained in the NEEDS assessment committee. The N100 billion is expected to address needs of the universities in the areas which include re-furbishing and renovation of lecture theatres and lecture halls and renovation of laboratories/libraries and the renovation of hostels.

"The second category is building of new hostels of international standard, self-contained rooms, the latest model in the world. That is the standard to be built in every university, and also the state-of-the-art laboratories as well as classrooms, lecture theatres and the halls."

Ugwoke pointed out that the money had been shared and out of the N100 billion, N96 billion had been sent to the affected universities, noting that the intervention fund aimed at bailing out the education sector is different from the annual budgetary allocation to the various universities across the country.

He added: "The committee is meeting again on Monday, and by Monday (today), the document will be out. This time around, it is not only by giving university money, but it will be monitored to ensure that the money is used to transform the universities, to bail universities out of the present situation and developed to an international recognized university standard."

With this it is expected that ASUU may put an end to the strike soon.