2023 Budget: N170bn Provision For ASUU – Reps

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) would get a N170 billion fund in the 2023 budget, according to plans made by the House of Representatives.

The measure, according to the House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, will increase the welfare package for university instructors, he said in a statement on Monday.

He said that initiatives were being made to address every concern brought up by ASUU. He said that an additional N300 billion revitalization money was included in the budget to upgrade the facilities and management of the federal institutions.

“We are currently working on the 2023 Appropriations Bill, which includes the sum of one hundred and seventy billion naira (N170,000,000,000.00) to provide a level of increment in the welfare package of university lecturers,” the statement read.

“The Bill also includes an additional three hundred billion naira (N300,000,000,000.00) in revitalization funds to improve the infrastructure and operations of federal universities.”

The Speaker said that President Muhammadu is eager to investigate the most recent problems and worries brought forth by the university professors.

According to Gbajabiamila, the Federal Government’s “no work, no pay” stance during the strike is based on the law.

According to him, the government’s rightful interest in minimizing moral hazard and deterring disruptive industrial operations served as the foundation for the ruling.

“Nonetheless, interventions have been made to explore the possibility of partial payments to the lecturers. We look forward to a favourable consideration by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR who has manifested his desire to what is prudent and necessary to resolve all outstanding issues.

“Implementing meaningful change takes time, especially when appropriations and modifications to systems such as IPPIS are required.

“Therefore, I urge all parties to be patient and grant each other the presumption of goodwill to the extent necessary to achieve our shared objectives. This is not a time for political brinkmanship.

“There is no more pressing objective than to preclude the possibility of further disruptions to the academic calendar of the universities. We must prevent this possibility by all means, as these disruptions risk the promise and potential of our nation’s youth,” he added.