ASUU, Suswam and the N100b Fund for Universities

On July 4, 2013 the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on a nation-wide strike to press for the implementation of the 2009 Agreement signed with the Federal Government. One of the critical issues in the Agreement is the urgent need to provide critical infrastructure on the university campuses or rehabilitate existing facilities in […]

On July 4, 2013 the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on a nation-wide strike to press for the implementation of the 2009 Agreement signed with the Federal Government. One of the critical issues in the Agreement is the urgent need to provide critical infrastructure on the university campuses or rehabilitate existing facilities in deplorable state of decay.
The Suswam-led committee has as members a Senator representing the Senate Committee on Education, Honourable Member representing the House of Representatives Committee on Education, the Ministers of Education, Labour and Productivity, Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Executive Secretaries of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETFund) and Petroleum Technology Development Fund(PTDF), Chief Executives of the National Communications Commission(NCC), National Universities Commission(NUC) and representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF). Other members of the Committee include the representatives of ASUU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).
Since its inauguration, the Committee took up its assignment with vigour and commitment leading to the successful mobilization of N100billion for injection into the university system in the area of provision of infrastructure. But achieving this feat within a few weeks was not an easy task.
The first strategy saw the NNPC, CBN, PTDF, NCC, and TeTFund all bring huge sums of money which amounted to the N100billion raised for the first phase of intervention in the provision of critical infrastructure on the university campuses.
The next step was how to distribute the N100billion to the state and federal universities in line with the Needs Assessment Report. A technical sub-committee was set up with representatives of ASUU to work out a formula for disbursement   of the funds. The sub-committee relying on figures contained in the Needs Assessment report categorized the universities into three. The first category was those with students population of 30,000 and above, the second category had universities with students enrolment of between 25,000 and 29,000, the third category comprised universities with students size of between 15,000 and 19,000 while the fourth category had universities with students population of  between 5,000 and 14,000.
The Sub-Committee report was presented to the main committee for adoption. It was at this point ASUU wrote to the Committee announcing its intention to discontinue participation from meetings of the committee. The Committee nevertheless, adopted the report of its Technical Sub-committee and approved disbursement of various sums out of   the N100billion to the 59 benefiting universities.
From the template approved by the Committee, the University of Ibadan has received N3.25billion; Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and the University of Benin have received N3.2billion;  while Bayero University Kano, Universities of Ilorin, Jos, Lagos, Maiduguri and Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka have received N3.05bilion each  from the Fund. The other public universities also received various sums of money from the N100billion intervention.
The funds were disbursed directly to the Vice Chancellors and Chairmen of the Governing Councils of the universities at a meeting held on 23rd August, 2013. The management of the various universities and their Councils were directed to quickly complete the procurement processes and get the projects started. The Committee further directed that both the renovation works and new projects initiated should be completed within 12 months.
It is important to emphasize that the Presidential Implementation Committee has nothing to do with the award of contracts. For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Suswam and members of the Committee have said they would have nothing to do with the contracts and have accordingly consigned themselves to the monitoring role to ensure the projects are executed according to the set standards. Already, the committee has dissolved into six sub-committees to monitor the projects in universities located within the six geo-political zones of the country.
At this point it is pertinent to return to the concerns raised by ASUU on basis of which it opted out of the committee. ASUU’s action was premature and not based on the realities of the situation. For instance, the Committee disbursed the whole of N100b to the 59 universities.  There no part of the money reserved or withheld. No amount was   “pinched or pilfered”. 
Also, the disbursement of the N100b was based on the criterion of population of students as proposed by ASUU while the choice of projects in each university was based on the projects scheduled in the Needs Assessment Report which was prepared by the Federal Government in partnership with ASUU.  
The other issue is the quantum of funds to be injected into the system for provision of infrastructure. In ASUU’s view, the 2009 agreement provided for N100b capital injection to stimulate the process of infrastructure on the campuses. This was to be followed by a progressive increase on an annual basis up to the tune of N400b by 2014.  The Federal Government unfortunately could not commence this aspect of the agreement in 2009. The Federal Government position is that although there were delays in the implementation of this aspect of the agreement, having commenced the process in 2013 with N100b, there would be annual progressive intervention in the following years. Suswam has repeatedly assured that based on the assurances received from the sources of funds (federal agencies) more funds would be mobilized and progressively applied to the identified needs of all Nigerian public Universities.
There is absolute need for ASUU to have a rethink. The two-month old strike has yielded results in the sense that ASUU has by the measure got the Federal Government to begin work on the infrastructural requirements of the public universities. The ASUU should encourage the Federal Government to continue in this direction by calling-off the strike.
Akwaya is Special Adviser on Media and public Affairs to Governor Suswam.