Unijos Commends Tinubu for Reversing 40% IGR Remittance Policy

The vice-chancellor of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Tanko Ishaya, has commended President Bola Tinubu and his government for reversing the policy mandating tertiary institutions to remit 40 per cent of their internally generated revenue (IGR) to the federal government.

President Tinubu announced the reversal of the policy at the 75th Founder’s Day ceremony of the University of Ibadan (UI). The president described the policy as ”ill-timed.” In a press conference on Thursday in Jos, marking his two years in office as vice-chancellor, Mr Ishaya commended the president.

See Also: UNIJOS notice on Matriculation Ceremony for 2022/2023 academic session

Stakeholders had expressed concerns about the policy’s negative impact, insisting it was introduced amid a crumbling economy and poor funding of the nation’s tertiary institutions.

Mr Ishaya, who said the reversal of the policy was timely, maintained that it would enable tertiary institutions to have funds to cater for their immediate needs.

The vice-chancellor, however, advised the federal government to grant full autonomy to public universities, insisting that the autonomy of universities is not just about finances but their general administration.

“The autonomy of universities is not just about finances, but majorly about governance of the universities; autonomy is opposed to centralisation of the control of universities,” noted the Unijos VC. “It confers on each university the right to select or admit its own students, decide what to teach and determine areas of research. So, we call on the federal government to grant universities autonomy to enable them to function optimally.”

Related: Gombe State Calls on President Tinubu to Act Against Sexual Harassment in Universities

The vice-chancellor reeled out some of the modest achievements in the university under his stewardship, and maintained that his administration had completed over 30 inherited projects in the institutions.

Mr Ishaya, also thanked staff and students of the institution for the support so far, and promised to initiate and complete new projects and attract more research grants to the university before the expiration of his tenure.