FG allots N100 billion naira to varsities for NEEDS assessment implementation

The Nigerian Government has on Monday February 17, 2014 disbursed the sum of N100 billion to public universities in the country for the implementation of the Universities’ Needs Assessment Report,  geared towards boosting infrastructural development of institutions across the country.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike who presented the allocation letters to the institutions’ Vice Chancellors at a meeting with the Committee of Vice Chancellors held at the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja urged them to spend the money according to the guidelines on NEEDS Assessment report implementation.

Nyesom Wike also announced that the ministry would convene a ‘town hall meeting’ in  the six geopolitical zones for all the Federal Government owned tertiary institutions with a view to create awareness on the efforts of government to develop infrastructure in the institutions.

He added that the exercise would not be an audit of their financial expenditure, but a public sensitisation programme on the utilization engaged with the allocations by the institutions. “It is imperative for the public to know how much government is investing in the country’s tertiary education to correct the impression that the sector has been neglected,” he said.

The Minister further indicated that the exercise would be conducted in the six geo-political zones of the country beginning with the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi in the North – Central Zone on March 4, 2014 ; noting that the University of Port-Harcourt in the South-South would follow on March 10, while that of the South- East Zone would hold at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka on March 11, 2014.

“The public sensitization for the North-West Zone will be held at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, while institutions in the South-West would converge at the University of Ibadan on a date to be fixed later,” he stated.