Falana seeks intervention funds for federal universities

Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday urged the Cental Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to donate of N10 billion to each of the federal universities as an intervention fund.
The demand followed a donation of N10 billion the apex bank made to Othman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.
In a statement in Lagos, Falana said: “As there is equality before the law, each of the public universities is entitled to equal treatment by the Federal Government and all its agencies, including CBN.
“Since the CBN claims that it is discharging its corporate duty or social responsibility, it cannot operate on the basis of discrimination or favouritism. Having donated N10 billion to the Othman Dan Fodio University, the CBN should, as a matter of urgency, provide an intervention fund of the same amount to each of the other public universities without delay.”
The activist argued that it is high time the National Assembly complied with relevant provisions of the Constitution by subjecting the CBN to budgetary control and supervision.
He said: “As neither the President nor any other public officer is empowered to disburse funds without appropriation, the CBN governor (Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi) should be restrained from further engaging in impunity.”
Before the donation to the Othman Dan Fodio University, Falana recalled that Sanusi had donated N4 billion available to Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and several millions of Naira to the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and some other universities which gave him doctorate degrees.
“His alma mater, King’s College, Lagos, benefited from the largesse of the CBN,” Falana said.
The frontline lawyer said it was also public knowledge that Mallam Sanusi allegedly donated N135 milliom to selected victims of terrorist attacks in Kano and Niger states.
Falana accused the CBN of operating outside the provisions of the Appropriation Act, in addition to usurping the statutory duties of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) among others.
“Such extra budgetary donation of billions of naira to selected bodies and individuals by the CBN has dangerous implications for the neo-colonial economy. Since the donations and intervention funds are taken from the vaults of the CBN owned by the Nigerian people, they cannot be subjected to the whims and caprices of the management of the bank under a constitutional democracy”, Falana said.
The activist claimed to have been drawing the attention of the Federal Government, repeatedly, to the illegality of allowing the CBN governor to convert the apex bank to a charitable institution over the last two years.