President Jonathan Approves N400Billion To End Asuu Strike 2013

The latest news update
on ASUU strike 2013 in
Nigeria as of today
August 20, 2013 is that
President Jonathan has
approved a total sum of
400 billion naira for the
infrastructural
development
of Nigerian universities.
The end of this long ASUU strike 2013 is very near as
the document was made available yesterday at the
meeting of the presidential committee on
implementation of the NEEDS assessment in the
universities with the leaders of the four university-
based unions – the Senior Staff Association of
Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic
Staff Union of Educational and Associated
Institutions (NASU), the National Association of
Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Academic
Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The President of SSANU, Samson Ugwoke, made the
revelation while addressing his union members at
the SSANU National Executive Committee (NEC)
meeting held at the weekend at the University of
Abuja.
Ugwoke, briefing the SSANU members on the
activities of the NEEDS assesment implementation
committee, led by Benue State Governor, Gabriel
Suswam. He noted that the fund was different from
the N100 billion Governor Suswam had raised from
donor agencies and big companies to tackle the
problems of Nigerian universities in 2013.
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
assessement committee. The N100 billion is
expected to address needs of the universities n the
areas which include re-furbishing and renovation of
lecture theatres and lecture halls, re-furbishing 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 universities.
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.