President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that his regime has saved N470 billion in the recently presented 2023 budget for university revitalisation.
This development met the sticking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) demands on funding for the revitalisation of public universities.
Buhari made this known at the presentation of the N20.15 trillion 2023 budget estimates to the joint session of the National Assembly, on Friday.
He thereby appealed to the striking lecturers to consider the country’s current economic situation and return to the classroom.
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The President also advised that universities must find alternative sources of funding rather than relying fully on government funds.
This was shortly after the Court of Appeal ordered the academic union to immediately call off its ongoing strike as a precondition for granting the union’s request to appeal a similar ruling of the National Industrial Court.
The court granted ASUU’s application on the condition that the union obeys the ruling of the lower court and calls off the strike immediately pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) commenced striking on February 14, 2022, as the Federal Government failed to meet some of its demands, including the release of revitalisation funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
