By Dayo Johnson, Akure

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised the alarm that Treasury Single Account (TSA) is frustrating funding of research in universities.  Aside this, the union said the policy has not only eroded universities autonomy but has also robbed them of the opportunity for short, medium and long-time planning.

The Akure Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Dr Alex Odiyi, who spoke in Akure, added that the TSA policy affects local and international research.

Odiyi pointed out that funds from international funding agencies are also rendered unavailable by  bottlenecks created by the policy.

“At the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), funds administered by the university for certain programmes spanning five African countries are trapped. The situation is the same at University of Lagos.

“At this time, Nigerian universities and researchers may be blacklisted and denied access to international grants.”

Odiyi lamented that the policy was also frustrating payment of staff salaries in universities.