Northern states account for 55.35 per cent of the ₦38.93bn disbursed to 166 public tertiary institutions under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund, according to a THE WHISTLER analysis of the disbursement figures.
The Federal Government announced that it had disbursed the funds to address infrastructure gaps and improve teaching and learning facilities in public tertiary institutions.
An analysis of the disbursement figures for 79 universities, 46 polytechnics and 41 colleges of education shows that institutions in the North account for a combined N21.55bn, compared with N17.38bn for institutions in the southern part of the country.
The amount listed for northern institutions represents 55.35 per cent of the total, while the southern share stands at 44.65 per cent.
The Needs Assessment Intervention Fund emerged from efforts by the Federal Government to address the deteriorating state of public university infrastructure and improve teaching and learning conditions.
Its origins are linked to the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which included commitments concerning university funding and infrastructure.
In 2012, the Federal Government conducted a needs assessment of public universities to identify infrastructure deficiencies and determine the requirements of individual institutions.
The intervention was backed by a Federal Government pledge of N1.3tn for public universities over 2013-2018, to be released in N220bn tranches. Only the first tranche was substantially released at the time.
The intervention was intended to address longstanding deficiencies in facilities and improve the quality of teaching, learning and research in public universities.
The latest disbursement schedule covers a wider range of institutions, including polytechnics and colleges of education, with 166 beneficiaries listed across the country.
A breakdown by geopolitical zone shows that the North West has the highest combined amount listed for its institutions, at N8.15bn for 40 beneficiaries, representing 20.93 per cent of the total.
The North Central zone follows with N7.04bn listed for 31 institutions, accounting for 18.09 per cent, while the North East has N6.36bn for 29 institutions, representing 16.33 per cent.
In the South, institutions in the South West account for N6.77bn across 25 beneficiaries, representing 17.39 per cent of the total.
The South East accounts for N5.39bn for 21 institutions, representing 13.84 per cent, while the South South has the lowest combined amount among the six zones, at N5.23bn for 20 institutions, representing 13.42 per cent.
The distribution also shows that the three northern zones account for 100 of the 166 beneficiary institutions, representing about 60.2 per cent of those listed in the disbursement schedule.
The southern zones account for the remaining 66 institutions, or 39.8 per cent.
At the state level, institutions in Kaduna State account for the highest combined amount, at about N2.44bn across eight beneficiaries, representing 6.26 per cent of the total. Kano follows, with nine institutions accounting for N1.86bn, while seven institutions in Kwara account for N1.71bn.
Six institutions in Ogun State account for N1.58bn, while six in Adamawa account for N1.57bn.
Five institutions in Anambra State account for ₦1.50bn, while five in Rivers account for ₦1.49bn.
Enugu’s five institutions account for N1.46bn, while five institutions each in Niger and Osun states account for ₦1.45bn and N1.43bn, respectively.
Four institutions in Imo account for N1.39bn, while five in Bauchi State account for N1.37bn. Three institutions in Edo account for N1.37bn, while three in Cross River account for N1.36bn. Five institutions each in Borno and Plateau account for N1.36bn and N1.35bn, respectively.
Six institutions in Ondo State account for N1.29bn, while four in Sokoto account for N1.20bn. Two institutions in Oyo State account for N1.10bn.
Among states with combined amounts below N1bn, five institutions in Yobe account for N858.45m, while two institutions in the Federal Capital Territory account for N814.61m.
Five institutions in Kebbi account for N753.99m, while five in Nasarawa account for N739.53m. Three institutions in Lagos account for N732.21m, while five in Katsina account for N721.62m. Five institutions in Kogi account for N673.57m.
Four institutions in Ebonyi account for N669.26m, while three institutions each in Ekiti and Gombe account for N635.34m and N632.35m, respectively.
Five institutions in Zamfara account for N593.09m, while four in Jigawa account for N580.44m. Five institutions in Taraba account for N559.10m.
At the lower end of the distribution, three institutions in Akwa Ibom account for N413.15m, followed by three institutions in Abia with N364.49m and four in Bayelsa with N350.39m.
Two institutions in Benue State account for N302.09m, while Delta State has the lowest combined amount, with its two listed beneficiary institutions accounting for N239.67m.
