The Ministry of Finance has failed to release the November and December 2023 meal subsidy of the 112 Federal Unity Colleges across the country amounting to N4.9bn.
This revelation was discovered in multiple letters written by the federal ministry of education to the federal ministry of finance.
Findings revealed that the finance ministry failed to release the interventions for November and December 2023 but went ahead to pay the interventions for January 2024 to date.
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From the meal subsidy document, it was discovered that N2,478,056,400 is being paid monthly to all the 112 FUCs.
Also, the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Didi Walson-Jack, had earlier in a letter dated Feb. 5, 2024 had written her finance counterpart asking that the interventions for the two months be released.
Walson-Jack, in her letter, noted that the failure to release the subsidy was affecting the smooth running of the colleges.
“Approval and payment of the outstanding months of meal subsidy will ensure effective planning, management and execution of the meal subsidy programme in the colleges. It would also give the colleges the leverage to stock enough food items to guard against the incessant price inflation being experienced on a daily basis.
”It is imperative to note that the current challenges being encountered in the management of the meal subsidy in the Federal Unity Colleges are resultant effects of high and still rising cost of food items in the country and the worsening effect of the recurring late releases of the meal subsidy funds,” the former Permanent Secretary said in her letter.
However, further findings revealed that despite Walson-Jack’s letter, the finance ministry failed to release the outstanding funds, prompting the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, to write to the Coordinating Minister of Finance, Wale Edun another letter of reminder dated February 26, 2024, for the release of the funds.
Mamman noted that the failure of the ministry to release the funds had led to accrued debts in the 112 unity schools.
“The non-release of the outstanding months has adversely affected the arrangements made by the various schools’ managements to smoothly conclude the term last year and commence the new session for the year 2024.
“We plan to make necessary although avoidable adjustments in the academic calendar when the November and December 2023 meal subsidy payments are made.
“As you are aware, the prices of goods and services have been increasing incessantly on a daily basis and the funds earlier budgeted for the subsidy last year can no longer purchase the same quantity of items currently.
“Also, the worsening effect of the recurring late releases of the meal subsidy funds is a serious stress on delivery of services, as food vendors are unable to sustain steady supplies due to mounting unpaid debts.”
A senior civil servants in the FME, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Ministry of Finance should come out and let us know how they are doing the calculations.
According to the civil servant, the schools have run into debt and are complaining, so finance ministry should look into this before schools resume for the next academic session.
Meanwhile, the Director of Press in the Ministry of Finance, Muhammed Manga, who was intimated about the issue to get the side of the ministry on the matter, refused to comment.
