The National Association of Nigerian Students’ President, Comrade Sunday Asefon has described the amount allocated to the education sector in the country’s 2021 budget as the worst in a decade.
Nigeria budgeted 6.3 per cent of its 2021 national budget on the Federal Ministry of Education.
A sum of N742.5 billion out of the total N13.7 trillion budget was allowed to the ministry out of which N615.1 billion is proposed to go into the recurrent expenditure of the ministry covering personnel and overhead costs while N127.3 billion is devoted to capital expenditure.
Asefon told journalists in Osun State on Thursday in Osogbo, said an analysis of the budget showed that the FG is not serious about revitalising education in the country
He said, “The 2021 budget allocation for the education sector is worst in a decade. We call on FG to find means to jack up the education budget. We also urge the government to call for an education summit for stakeholders to come together and find a lasting solution to the challenges facing the sector. Nigeria should follow the path Singapore followed to tackle its education challenge and look forward to having a knowledge base education.
“I also call on FG to include indigent students on conditioner cash transfer. It is an investment in the future, especially of Nigerian students, if allowed to benefit from the scheme. students across the country have also been victims of the devastating economic challenge in the country.
“We, on our part, will also organise security summit across the NANS zones to challenge and forestall bandit from further harassing students, like the incident that happened in Kakanra Local Government Area of Katsina State, where students where kidnapped in broad daylight.
Also, NANS in a resolution signed by its President also described the recent hike electricity tariff as anti-people, insensitive and ill-timed, calling on the government to reverse the hike or face mass action.
“NANS rejects the recent hike in the electricity tariff as we believe that the hike is insensitive, ill-timed and anti-people. The hike in the tariff coming barely two weeks after the same tariff was increased by over 100% is not only unacceptable but ridiculous.
“That other nations of the world are doing everything possible to ease the economic challenges occasioned by Covid-19 on its citizens through various interventions and benefits. The Nigerian government must not do the opposite by making everything more difficult for its citizens during this hard time.
“The over 100% hike in the tariff barely two months ago is condemnable and this new over 50% hike is totally unacceptable. NANS will fight against any hike in electricity tariff until prepaid meters are provided for every household at no extra cost to the consumers.
“That NANS call on NERC to reverse this hike or face mass actions. These resolutions will be pursued by all structures of NANS until the reversal of the hike in the price is implemented by the appropriate agency of government. In accomplishing the aforementioned resolutions, NANS will not hesitate to collaborate with other civil society organizations to ensure the hike is reversed,” the resolution reads.
