Bukola Afeni
The Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has opposed the decision by the federal government to automatically deduct 40 per cent from the Internally Generated Revenue of universities in the country.
The Federal Government said it will begin the deduction with effect from November 2023.
In a letter signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein, Director of Revenue and Investment, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Felix Ore-ofe Ogundairo, also said the auto-deduction policy of gross IGR was in line with the Finance Circular with reference number FMFBNP/OTHERS/IGR/CRF/12/2021 dated December 20, 2021.
The National President, ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, described FG’s decision as an attack on Nigerian universities, saying universities are not revenue-generating agencies.
“It is surprising that the government still wanted to collect from the subsidised charges on ID cards, hostel accommodation, lab coats, students.
This is what we saw when we were fighting that the government should fund universities and Nigerians think ASUU is the problem”, he said.
Osodeke said universities are not revenue-generating agencies.
” 40 per cent of the subsidised money students pay for a hostel, medicals, ID cards, lab coat, chemicals in the laboratory should still be shared with the government
This is an extreme, that such is happening in Nigeria”, he said.
According to him, universities also paid tax which goes to the government.
” ASUU would also meet with the Federal Government agencies in charge of the policy to take the next line of action.
Parents, students, Nigerians need to rise up to this.
Secretary-General, Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, said deduction of 40 per cent would completely run the universities down.
“The amount deducted by the FG from universities was 25 per cent but was increased to 40 per cent recently.
He called on the AGF to specify what it meant by IGR, saying universities only get user charges from students and not profits or revenues.
“The Federal Government, through the Accountant General of the Federation, is citing the Finance Act of 2021 as the basis for the decision.We also have to look at the provision of the law.
