ASUU Crisis: Buhari Says N470bn Provided In 2023 Budget For Salary Enhancements
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Federal Government has provided N470billion in next year’s budget for revitalisation and salary enhancements in the tertiary institutions.
At the presentation of next year’s Appropriation Bill of N20.5trillion, tagged, ‘Budget of Fiscal Sustainability and Transition,’ to a joint session of the National Assembly on Friday, October 7, Buhari said the amount, from constrained resources, was aimed at revitalisation and salary enhancements in the tertiary institutions.
According to him: “The Government notes with dismay, the crisis that has paralysed activities in the public universities in the country. We expect the staff of these institutions to show a better appreciation of the current state of affairs in the country.
“In the determined effort to resolve the issue, we have provided a total of N470billion in the 2023 budget from our constrained resources for revitalisation and salary enhancements in the tertiary institutions.
“It is instructive to note that government alone cannot provide the resources required for funding tertiary education. In most countries, the cost of education is jointly shared between the government and the people, especially at the tertiary level. It is imperative, therefore, that we introduce a more sustainable model of funding tertiary education.”
He added: “Government remains committed to the implementation of agreements reached with staff unions within available resources. This is why we have remained resolute that we will not sign any agreement that we would be unable to implement. Individual institutions would be encouraged to keep faith with any agreement reached in due course to ensure stability in the educational sector.
“Government is equally committed to improving the quality of education at other levels. Recently, we implemented various incentives aimed at motivating and enhancing teachers’ development in our schools.”
On the health sector, he disclosed government’s intention to focus attention on equipping existing hospitals and rehabilitating infrastructure, noting: “Emphasis will also be on local production of basic medicines/vaccines.
“As human capital is the most critical resource for national development, our overall policy thrust is to expand our investment in education, health and social protection.”
The President equally said his administration would continue to prioritise women’s empowerment programmes across various Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) next year.
