Like Funding, Nigerian Universities Need Stronger Fiscal Transparency and Accountability

Nigerian University lecturers are still on strike and the strike action is Seventy-eight days old. According to lecturers and the government, there is no agreement as to when the action will end.

The Nigerian government has been reported to have implemented a No-work,No-pay rule, in a bid to force lecturers back to classrooms while the striking lecturers have insisted that they will not return to teaching until their demands are met.

The bone of contention has bordered on funding of university education in the country and also importantly, the welfare of Lecturers.

President of the Lecturers’ Union, Professor Victor Osodeke had told Dataphyte that driving home these points is why they go on strike, especially as they see this as the viable option available to ensure that the government listens to their demands.

While these demands have continued to elicit reactions, there have also been concerns on financial probity as to management of funds in universities.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities in 2013 set up a Budget Monitoring Committee to ensure proper utilisation of funds, despite these, issues around management of Universities’ funds continue to create concerns.

For instance, the University of Lagos Vice Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe was enmeshed in a N5 billion mismanagement allegation, a development that was said to be responsible for abandoned projects on the campus and lack of  development.

Recently Dataphyte detailed how a N200 million computer project was not executed in Osun state university, despite the release of N140 million for the project to be carried out. The report also detailed instances of abuse of financial provisions to fund the contractor, beyond the statutory limit for advancement of payments for contracts.

In 2017, a former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Bamitale Omole, was accused of mismanaging N3.5 billion meant for upgrade of facilities in the institution. The funds were said to be a part of the N100 billion released to Universities after ASUU agitation.

In 2021, a former Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Gusau, Professor Magaji Garba, was arraigned over an allegation of forgery and false pretence in the award of contracts to the tune of N3 billion.

SERAP had also noted that corruption in Universities have gone unpunished or uninvestigated hereby leading to impunity, the group warned that this has affected governance on these campuses and affected the quality of education received.

While the need for better funding of universities especially in the area of key infrastructure such as hostels, lecture theatres, learning equipments and better welfare for lecturers in the country have been at the forefront of discussions, there may also be a need to tighten the noose around accountability and financial transparency on campuses.

Without the values of transparency and accountability, students, lecturers and the general populace will continue to be denied the gains that come with better funding for these institutions. 

Proper fiscal accountability and transparency may help ensure that money earmarked for developments on campuses translate to meaningful developments that they were planned for.

This is even more important given the minute amounts budgeted for capital development on campuses and overdependence on TETFUND resources. 

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development recommended key ways to ensure Budget transparency. Some of the recommendations include, inclusion in the execution of budget, strong oversight, fiscal transparency evaluation among others.