ASUU STRIKE : WE ARE YET TO RECEIVE N100BN FROM FG -VCs

Seven weeks after the Federal Government announced that it has commenced implementation of the agreement signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, by disbursing N100 billion to each of the 59 public universities, the affected tertiary institutions have raised alarmed that they are yet to receive the fund.
The Governor Gabriel Suswan-led Presidential Implementation committee on Needs of Nigerians Universities was said to have source the fund within 16 days of its inauguration from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Nigerian Communications Committee,NCC, and other government agencies.
The committee thereafter ad
opted a sharing formula for each of the university based on student population and depth of infrastructural decay.
The money is meant for the refurbishment/renovation and provision of new facilities such as hostels, lecture theaters and lecture room, laboratory and libraries in the universities.
Reacting to the reports that the money has been released to the universities, Vice Chancellor of one of the universities in the South East said,"the Federal Government has only sent us a memo through the Ministry of Education that we are getting N650 million from the funds. Until we get alert into the university's account, we will know how sincere the government is but presently we are yet to receive the money."
Similarly another VC of another university in the South West disclose that the N1.2 billion earmarked for the university has not been paid either by cheque or cash into the university account.
It was gathered from the committee that 13 Federal universities have been left out of the initial disbursement. They are Federal University Gashua, Federal University Dutshe, Jigawa State, Federal Univeristy, Dutsin-ma, Kastina, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Federal University, Lokoja, Koji State, Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebony State; and Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, others are  Federal University, Wukari Taraba State, Federal University, Ebirini-Kebbi Kebbi State, Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State; Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State and Police Academic Wudil.
Vanguard learnt that these universities were left out because they were just been established by this present administration between 2011-2013 which committed trillion of naira in their establishment and that there are no need for additional funding.
Five state universities that were also unlucky are: Bukka Abba Ibrahim University, Damaturu, Yobe State, North-West University, Kano State, SokotoState University, the Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-ode, Ogu State, TechnicalUniversity, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Top five Federal Universities that got the lion's share of the money were: University of Ibadan, UI, with student population of 33,48, which got N3.250 billion; Uinversity of Benin, UNIBEN, with the student population of 56,501 got N3,200 billion, Ahmadu Bello Unversity, ABU, with student population of 49,436 got N3.200 billion, University of Port-Harcourt, UNIPORT,  with student population of 53,288 got N3.050 billion, while University of Lagos of 49,179 also got N3.050 billion.
Also the state universities that benefited are: Ebony State University, EBSU, of 23,437 got N3.050 billion, Niger-Delta University, NDU, Wilberforce Island, of 12,793 got N2.800 billion, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua  University, Katsina, of 4,753 got N2.450 billion, Gombe State University, GSU, of 4,383 got N2.450 billion, whereas in Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo wit the highest student population of 90,885 among all the considered universities got N1.300 billion.