Private varsities demand tariff exemption from FG

The Association of Pro-Chancellors of Private Universities of Nigeria, APPUN, has called on the Federal Government to speedily put in place a policy for tariff exemptions for private universities. This was contained in a communiqué at the end of the 5th meeting of the association in Abuja. Chairman of APPUN, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher, who read the communiqué, explained that the policy should cover exemptions of tax, duties and tariff on educational books, laboratory and teaching equipment. Hagher stressed the need to provide an intervention fund for private universities at a single digit rate to help in the development of infrastructure and programmes as government has provided for agriculture, textiles and Nollywood. The communiqué directed “private universities to participate in corporate a social responsibility, that is closing the gap between the town and gown in their various communities.”