The Federal Government has disbursed N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions across the country to tackle infrastructure challenges and improve teaching and learning conditions.
The beneficiaries comprise 79 universities, 46 polytechnics and 41 colleges of education, with universities receiving the largest portion of the funding under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund.
The Federal Ministry of Finance announced the disbursement in a statement issued on Sunday by its Head of Media, Efe Ovuakporie, noting that the money would be used to execute approved projects in the institutions.
According to the ministry, N28.5bn was allocated to universities, while polytechnics received N5.8bn and colleges of education were allocated N4.7bn.
An analysis of the figures shows that universities account for approximately 73.2 per cent of the total allocation. Polytechnics are entitled to about 14.9 per cent, while colleges of education account for roughly 12.1 per cent.
The ministry said the funding was part of the government’s efforts to address persistent infrastructure gaps in public tertiary institutions and fulfil commitments made under agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
It stated that the intervention was designed to support the implementation of measures contained in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and ASUU.
The Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund is intended to finance infrastructure improvements and other pressing institutional requirements, particularly in public universities, where inadequate facilities have remained a major issue in engagements between the government and academic unions.
The ministry explained that the latest release would allow beneficiary institutions to commence new projects or continue work on previously approved interventions to improve their facilities and operational capacity.
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It added that the ultimate goal was to strengthen the quality of tertiary education by addressing critical infrastructure and other identified institutional needs.
The Federal Government also stressed the importance of cooperation between the Federal Ministries of Finance and Education and the beneficiary institutions to ensure that the funds were properly utilised.
According to the ministry, effective coordination would help translate the financial support into tangible improvements in infrastructure, institutional capacity and the overall learning environment.