Federal Government To Stop Funding Of Universities – Anyim Pius Anyim

Segun O’Law

The Federal Government has
advised federal universities to be
prepared to swim on their own, or
sink.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at a
fundraising dinner organized by the
University of Jos, Mr. Anyim Pius
Anyim, the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation,
called on the institutions to
generate funds independently from
investors, associates and alumni.
Mr. Anyim, a former President of the
Senate, also said that the
government would inaugurate a
committee to assess the level of
need of the institutions and make
recommendations, apparently to
back the decision that has already
been taken to starve them of funds.
This decision to pass the burden of
financing to the universities is
certain to lead to increases in tuition
in federal universities, just as a
similar decision to withdraw the
subsidy on petrol last January led to
the exponential price increases that
fuelled that month’s mass rallies
nationwide.
The pattern of passing vast financial
burdens to impoverished citizens is
happening at a time that the
executive and legislative arms of
the government are continuously
finding ways to grant to themselves
lavish budget provisions.
Only recently, it emerged that the
nation’s Senators had bought new
Toyota LandCruiser Sport Utility
Vehicles at a cost of over N16million
each. Each of them already enjoys
a fleet of luxury official cars. This
year, federal legislators will receive
an estimated N71 billion in jumbo
allowances and packages they have
allocated to themselves.
Not to be outdone, the presidency
has this year budgeted for itself, for
food alone, about one billion Naira.