Niger Assembly Moves to Establish Education Trust Fund, Seeks End to ASUU Strike

The Niger State House of Assembly has commenced moves to establish the Niger State Skills and Education Development Trust Fund as a dedicated intervention mechanism to address persistent funding challenges confronting educational institutions across the state, particularly tertiary institutions.

Chairman of the House Committee on Education and member representing Tafa Constituency, Honourable Mohammed Sani Idris, disclosed this during an oversight visit by the committee to Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL).

Idris said the proposed trust fund was designed to provide a sustainable funding mechanism for the education sector and reduce the recurring dependence of tertiary institutions on annual government budgetary allocations.

According to him, the bill seeking to establish the fund had already passed its first reading on the floor of the House before the legislative recess, following consultations with the state government and a commitment from Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.

He said the initiative was intended to become one of the major legacies of the 10th Assembly, adding that the proposed fund would receive dedicated contributions from specified inflows accruing to the state, as well as an agreed percentage from contracts awarded by the state and local governments.

The lawmaker explained that the initiative was partly modelled after federal interventions such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), with the objective of providing tertiary institutions with additional resources to address critical needs without relying entirely on annual budgetary releases.

Idris also disclosed that the committee was reviewing the existing funding arrangement for tertiary institutions, particularly what he described as the practice of “enveloping” budgetary allocations.

He appealed to the state government to improve the implementation and release of appropriated funds for tertiary institutions, especially during the final quarter of the financial year.

The committee chairman stressed that the realisation of the “New Niger” development agenda would depend largely on the state’s ability to adequately support institutions responsible for producing the skilled manpower required to drive economic growth.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of IBBUL, Professor Mohammed Hadi Sulaiman, highlighted several critical challenges confronting the institution and appealed to the lawmakers to use their oversight responsibilities to draw the attention of the state government to the university’s urgent needs.

The Vice-Chancellor identified the Central Payment System (CPS) as one of the major constraints affecting the university, saying it had limited the institution’s ability to independently recruit and replace staff whenever vacancies arise.

Professor Sulaiman appealed to the lawmakers to present the university’s case before the state government, particularly on issues of funding, staff welfare, student accommodation and capital development.

He described IBBUL as the pioneer university in Niger State and one of the state’s largest tertiary institutions in terms of student and staff population, stressing that its size, responsibilities and reach required a corresponding level of government support.

According to him, strengthening IBBUL would enhance the state’s capacity to produce the skilled manpower needed to drive development, while sustained investment in the university would ultimately benefit students, staff and the wider Niger State community.

Professor Sulaiman also appealed to the House Committee on Education to intervene in the ongoing dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Niger State Government.

He said the prolonged strike had disrupted academic activities at the university and delayed students’ examinations.

The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the university management had recently engaged ASUU in an effort to explore possible ways of resolving the impasse, stressing that continued industrial action was not in the best interest of the students or the institution.

He urged all parties to make the necessary concessions and embrace dialogue, while calling on the lawmakers to facilitate further engagement between ASUU and the state government.

Professor Sulaiman expressed optimism that sustained dialogue would lead to a resolution of the dispute and enable students to return to the classroom, complete their examinations and continue their academic programmes without further disruption.

In his closing remarks and vote of thanks, the Registrar of IBBUL, Alhaji Idris Saleh Kusherki, commended the Niger State House of Assembly Committee on Education for undertaking the oversight visit and taking time to listen to the concerns confronting the university.

Kusherki described the visit as an important opportunity for the institution to engage directly with the legislative arm of government on issues affecting its growth and development.

He stressed that the challenges facing IBBUL could only be effectively addressed through sustained collaboration among the university management, the state government and the House of Assembly.

The Registrar particularly appreciated the committee for its proposed initiative to establish the Niger State Skills and Education Development Trust Fund, saying it could provide an additional and sustainable source of funding for educational institutions across the state.

He noted that institutions such as IBBUL required predictable and adequate funding to effectively plan, expand infrastructure, recruit and retain qualified personnel, provide student accommodation and improve the overall quality of teaching and learning.

The oversight visit is expected to strengthen engagement between the state legislature and IBBUL, particularly on funding, infrastructure, staff welfare and the resolution of the ongoing industrial dispute.