2020: NUC to spend N22m on meals, N330m on office

By Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

Amid the poor quality of research in Nigerian universities, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has budgeted N22,908,950 on refreshment and meals, estimates in the 2020 Appropriation Bill have shown.

An analysis of the bill revealed that the commission will spend N100,000,000 on furniture and office equipment and N330,000,000 on the re-development of its Lagos liaison office.

But the commission budgeted N16,769,000 for books.

These details are in the commission’s 2020 budget proposal, which was submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari last Tuesday.

A further analysis of the commission’s budget showed that it will spend N846,591,160 on the university’s system quality assurance.

The NUC, headed by an Executive Secretary, oversees the regulation and accreditation of 174 Nigerian universities, comprising 43 Federal universities, 52 state universities and 79 private universities.

Part of the budget reads: “Books – N16,769,000, newspapers – N3,079,000, printing of non-security documents – N18,400,000, uniforms and other clothing – N1,300,000, maintenance of office furniture – N5,537,885, maintenance of plants and generators – N9,739,246.

“Refreshments and meals – N22,908,950, honorarium and sitting allowance – N17,540,000, welfare packages – N30,570,000.”

More checks on the NUC budget showed that the commission listed four projects for the coming year.

These are: the re-development of its Lagos liaison office, which will gulp about N330,000,000 and the university’s system quality assurance, which will cost N846,591,160.

Other projects listed for next year are: furniture and office equipment – N100,000,000, and the Local Area Network upgrade at the NUC secretariat – N150,000,000.