President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that his regime has set aside N470 billion in the 2023 budget for university revitalisation.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which has been on strike since February, has among its demands funding for the revitalisation of public universities.

Making this known at the presentation of the N20.15 trillion 2023 budget estimates to the joint session of the National Assembly, on Friday, Mr Buhari appealed to the striking lecturers to consider the country’s current economic situation and return to the classroom.

The president further said that universities must find alternative sources of funding rather than relying solely on government funds.

The development comes shortly after the Court of Appeal ordered the academic union to immediately call off its ongoing strike as a precondition for granting the union’s request to appeal a similar ruling of the National Industrial Court.

The court granted ASUU’s application on the condition that the union obeys the ruling of the lower court and calls off the strike immediately pending the determination of the substantive suit.