DEAR ASUU PLEASE END THE STRIKE

Dear ASUU, please end the strike, Nigeria is too broke to fund education at all levels...Click here for more details

Our refineries have been on annual turnaround maintenance (TAM) despite not refining crude oil. Nigeria spent N82.82 billion on refineries maintenance in 2015. N78.95 billion, N604.127 billion, and N426.66 billion in 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively, on the refineries. In 2019, NNPC records show that Nigeria spent N218.18 billion on refineries maintenance, and N64.534 billion was spent on the three refining companies from January to June 2020. The NNPC spent N100 billion on the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries in 2021.

Meanwhile, after the about 1.57 trillion naira spent on TAM for the last 7 years without being able to refine a drop of crude oil in 2022, there is a new deal to revamp the non-functional assets. In March, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the sum of $1.5 billion for the modernization of the oil refinery by an Italian Firm, Maire Tecnimont SPA. So, the spending on nonfunctional refineries is a continuous annual ritual.

So, reflect on the amount spent on maintaining our nonfunctional refineries from 2015 to 2021. After these, we are going to spend another $1.5b on the refineries. With these figures spent annually on TAM for unproductive refineries, you won't believe anyone that tells you Nigeria is a broke country. We are paying for fuel subsidies, can't fund education at all levels, and have spent trillions of naira to maintain non-functional refineries that cannot refine a drop of oil at the moment? That is quite interesting. What is the value of our education in Nigeria?

Oil is at the moment our major source of revenue, and we should be investing the proceeds in other sectors of the economy to diversify, especially in education to enable a knowledge-based economy, but it is used to maintain non-functional refineries that will most likely never refine a drop of crude oil and pay oil subsidies.

Meanwhile, I remember that during the 2020 strike negotiation, FG said they can't afford to commit N200b for revitalization and that the money is not just there. ASUU congress understand with the government and unanimously agreed that they should commit half of it (N100b). When the ASUU team tabled the resolutions of the congress, the embattled AGF said FG can't still afford that. They eventually reluctantly agreed to release N30b. We now realize that there was 170b naira for the detained AGF to swindle but no fund for education. That's just a revelation from 1 person. Imagine how much others have taken from Nigeria over the last 7 years for example. The state AGFs have been accused of swindling their states of some billions of naira as well.

This is how public funds are spent by the managers of the country. It is no surprise that there is no money to fund education when the country is fully immersed in corruption. That was publicly displayed during the primary election of the 2 major political parties to select the new leaders for 2023. The delegates were for the highest bidder. Nigeria is perhaps the only "broke" country in the world where politicians bribe their ways to lead.

If we are willing to call a spade by its name and hold our leaders responsible for their actions and inactions, there is enough money to fund public schools and revitalize public universities and healthcare delivery. And if our leaders are responsible enough to invest in education instead of abandoning them and taking their kids abroad for education, there is forex to make for the country from the University like Malaysia. What was requested to be invested to revitalize the public university is not up to what was claimed to have been used for the 7 years TAM of the refineries that are not refining a litre of crude oil.

Meanwhile, if we can't stop them from swindling public funds and our own is just to "Sidon look", then let's introduce tuition fees to fund the universities. Those that can't afford it can drop out. But I just hope that the tuition fees will not be swindled too.

©Amoka Abdelghaffar....ABU Lecturer

#gwarzo