Funding Pattern, Financial Autonomy and the Quality of Education in Nigeria Public Universities

Abstract

The political and economic history of postcolonial Nigeria is characterized by elite corruption which is a vital component of the ruling class culture. The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities claimed explicitly that within the last decade, the government has misused public funds meant for the educational sector. The decline in the Nigerian educational system is thus seen as one part of a wider social phenomenon. ASUU members have on various occasions accused the government of malpractices and fraud in the implementation of finance-related programs for the educational sector such as the Educational Tax Fund, the Stabilization Fund and the NUC grants, amongst other sources of funds. The union has also expressed displeasure with the way the NUC handles their funds, and has called into question NUC’s accountability and integrity. It claimed that the Federal Government has refused to put NUC under the same scrutiny that universities are subjected to. This development questions specifically the extent to which the provisions of the Universities Act of 2003 (which, among other things, assert the autonomy of Nigerian universities) have been implemented and raise questions more generally about the future of students in Nigeria. While ASUU wants to be academically and administratively autonomous, it wants the government to continue to fund the universities in such a way that their autonomous operation is protected. This question, of course, relates to the quality and effectiveness of service in the Nigerian public service. In this case, the union sought to prevent universities from being turned into a business in the marketplace, and to this end, it continues to ask for state support financially or with regard to funding. The paper assesses the funding pattern of the Nigerian educational sector specifically emphasizing the federal universities. This was done by examining ASUU publications and Federal government policies in relation to the funding of the educational sector.