Atiku: I never said I would hand over federal universities to states

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has clarified his comment made on federal  universities at the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference held on Monday in Lagos.

Atiku, who was one of the panelists at the event on Monday, while narrating his encounter with a professor at the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State, had said the Federal Government lacked the resources for effective management of federal universities in the country.

He was thereafter reported as saying he would hand over those universities to state governments.

But in a statement, Paul Ibe, media adviser to the PDP presidential candidate, said Atiku only referred to his plans for a phased devolution of power to the federating units.
Ibe stated, “For the avoidance of doubt, Atiku did not say that he would hand over federal universities to state governments if elected president in February next year.
The statement read in part, “The report is false, untrue, unfounded, and not a true reflection of what Atiku Abubakar said while responding to a question on devolution of powers, a key component of his policy framework.
“What the PDP presidential candidate referred to was his plans for a phased devolution of power to the federating units.
“The report in some sections of the media is therefore a misleading and false account of what transpired when the PDP Presidential candidate fielded questions as a panelist at the opening ceremony of the NBA conference.
“In answering the question posed to him, Atiku Abubakar merely recalled his engagement with a university professor where he argued that the United States of America shared similarities with the first set of universities in Nigeria which belonged to the regional governments and noted that with proper planning and phased devolution of power, federal universities that have now become unwieldy could be made to work better under the component federating units.” He also maintained that education would remain in the concurrent list under his administration when elected.
It stated, “We wish to restate Atiku Abubakar’s avowed commitment to education as a game changer for socio-economic development and national security.

“He remains concerned about the prolonged strike by university teachers and restates his position that under his watch the ASUU-FG imbroglio will be better managed in the interest of both the students and academic staff.
“To underscore his commitment to address the structural deformities in our system, the former Vice President also disclosed that he had empanelled a committee of judiciary experts to draft a presidential position paper which will guide his administration, if elected, from day one, on the terms and conditions of transfer of power and resources to the other layers of government aimed at making the federal government leaner and more effective in its core functions.
“We implore media organisations to be wary of unfounded stories in the course of carrying out their constitutionally guaranteed responsibility of informing, educating, and entertaining the people.”