Similarly, while N773 million was paid out as honorarium and stipends, only N265.4 million was allocated to general research, according to the financial statement published on the university’s official website.
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), spent a total of N773 million on honorarium and other stipends during the 2024 financial year, a SaharaReporters review of the school’s financial statement for the year ended December 31 has shown.
The financial statement further revealed that an additional N240 million was expended on refreshments and meals within the same period.
This brings the combined spending on honorarium, stipends, and refreshments to N1.013 billion in 2024.
In contrast, the university allocated just N41 million to teaching aids and instructional materials during the financial year. This figure is significantly lower than the amount spent on refreshments and meals alone.
UNN, which is primarily an academic institution mandated to focus on teaching and research, also spent only N83 million on direct teaching and laboratory costs in 2024. This indicates that expenditure on honorarium and refreshments far exceeded spending on core academic and laboratory activities.
Similarly, while N773 million was paid out as honorarium and stipends, only N265.4 million was allocated to general research, according to the financial statement published on the university’s official website.
In a related development, SaharaReporters previously reported that the University of Ibadan’s 2023 financial statement revealed that the institution spent a staggering N358 million on non-academic expenses, such as refreshments/meals and honorarium/sitting allowances.
The amount exceeded spending on key academic purposes such as 'academic expenses', research, and teaching materials.
According to the report, the University of Ibadan spent N134 million on refreshments and meals in 2023, more than double the N65 million allocated for the same purpose in 2022.
Even more striking was the N224 million spent on honorarium and sitting allowances in 2023, up from N129 million the previous year.
The combined cost of refreshments and meals (N134 million) and honorarium/sitting allowances (N224 million) amounted to N358 million, exceeding the N345 million spent on the line item 'academic expenses'.
This figure was also higher than the N23 million spent on laboratory and teaching materials and the N168 million allocated to research and other teaching-related expenses, suggesting that administrative perks were prioritised over the institutions’ core academic missions.