SPEC: Demanding 40% On IGR Of Tertiary Institutions by the FG Is Greed

Demanding 40% On IGR of Tertiary Institutions Is Greed On The Part Of The Government

• Workers and Students’ Unions must organize to resist this anti-poor policy
• FG must adequately and massively fund public education
• For democratic control and management of public institutions’ funds

The Save Public Education Campaign (SPEC) faults the policy of the federal government to claim 40% of the total Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs) by the Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. We consider this attempt as greed on the path of the government that has adamantly refused to adequately fund public education with about 26% but rather wants a 40% cut of the total IGR of these institutions. To us, we believe this method of turning public education into a business venture where returns are expected needs to be vehemently rejected by the members of the public, staff and students’ unions.

We refer to the finance circular with reference number FMFBNP/OTHERS/IGR/CRF/12/2021 dated December 20, 2021, on the 40% auto-deduction from the IGR of partially-funded federal government institutions and the letter of implementation dated October 17, 2023, addressed to the Vice Chancellors of Universities on the commencement of the deductions by November. We categorize this method of raising funds as greed on the path of the government that has not been properly and adequately funding public education. The origin of the IGRs itself is rooted in the irresponsibility of the government to fund education, which forced the management of institutions to find other means of raising funds to meet the financial demands of running the institutions.

For the masses, staff and students who do not understand this policy, it means that the government is demanding 4/10 of the fees paid on/for accommodation, graduation, collection of transcripts, renting of matriculation gown, ID card, and those realized from farms, use of institution’s facilities (hall, stadium, museum, zoon, etc.) and so on. Imagine, the government that has refused to fund education, silent on the parallel hike in fees, refused to pay ASUU members 8 months of salaries, and left our institutions in a precarious state has asked for a meagre 40% of all funds generated internally by these institutions to maintain the running of the facilities. This is part of the reasons why the staff and students’ unions need to jointly reject this policy of the federal government.

Similarly, we of SPEC hold that the public education sector is not a business entity and any attempt to commercialize it will not be entertained. Hence, we call on the government to bury that idea immediately and instead focus on massively funding the education sector. This would mean that the Tinubu-led FG will allocate 26% of the 2024 budgetary allocation to education, replace students’ loans with grants, expand educational facilities, and adequately remunerate the academic and non-academic workers.

We disagree with the remittance of 40% into federal government accounts. It is an attempt to increase fees and introduction of tuition fees. The president just signed the N2.176 trillion Supplementary Appropriation Act on Wednesday in Abuja. This huge amount is needed to fund education and other social services. But to our chagrin, the federal government wants to fund decadent presidential pleasures, such as $38 million for the presidential air fleet,$6.1 million for a presidential yacht, and even more millions of dollars for presidential “repairs,” presidential feeding, foreign SUVs for the First Lady’s office and legislators, etc. This is unacceptable. It is not tenable to put suffering on ordinary people when top government officials are living in luxury.

Furthermore, we call for the democratic control and management of all funds and allocations of every public varsity, polytechnic and college of education. We hold that how the funds of the university will be utilized should be determined by all the stakeholders of the educational community, such as the Academic Staff Unions, Non-Academic Staff Unions, Students, Parents and Community Members. This is the only way the funds of these institutions can be judiciously used to meet the needs of the general populace and not the interest of the few.

Damilola Owot

Organizing Secretary, Save Public Education Campaign