East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences

Funding is the engine every organisation needs to keep it moving even though other resources such as human and material resources etc., are also important in the university system. Funding in this context is the money to be used in running the affairs of the university. The aim of funding university education is to enable it to provide more facilities and add to the existing ones. Secondly, it aids in accrediting more courses and faculties. Also, funding contributes to producing qualified, skilled manpower who are turned out into the labour market as qualified products, self-reliant, and can think critically for themselves for sustainability. However, the recent trend in the country shows that universities are overwhelmed with politics from the federal to the state level. There is a political undertone from the government to the management of various universities in Nigeria. Issues of who is in power, the political party that is in position


INTRODUCTION
The Federal Republic of Nigeria (2014) opines that the successful execution of educational programs depends on adequate financial support from all levels of government because education is a costly social service. In Nigeria, a university education is one that is obtained after secondary school. It is a stronghold for research, education, and information distribution, as well as a hub for social services. Similar objectives for tertiary education are shared by many nations, including boosting the knowledge economy, expanding student access, fostering intense competition, and guaranteeing the financial state of their higher institutions. In the view of the Federal Ministry of Education (2014), the expectations for the university education system are as follows: • Accountable and pertinent to societal needs • Sufficient in terms of quantity and quality, with a highly motivated, highly skilled, and qualified team whose outputs are knowledgeable, technically proficient, and sufficiently equipped for a fulfilled life and for beneficial societal contributions.
Making the appropriate policy decisions to guarantee that universities have adequate money is essential because only then can they maintain highvalue programs that produce graduates who are prepared for the workforce. These principal goals are to inspire their professors and give their students the tools they need for successful learning. In Nigeria, there are problems with university education and funding politics, including a shortage of money and the abandoning of ongoing initiatives, among others, which has left a void. The work of university education and Nigerian politics of funding is done with this in mind.
Education is the foundation for the right footing if a nation intends to grow tall in affairs of doing things locally and globally for sustainability. The young are the leaders of tomorrow; therefore, their educational wellbeing is of utmost importance. In a similar spirit, Adedigba (2017) asserts that education, whether at the primary, secondary, tertiary, or other levels, is the cornerstone of any economy. This indicates that education is necessary to balance a nation and create an atmosphere that is suitable for development. According to Duru (2011), education consists of all the various forms of training and discipline designed to instil good habits in children and prepare them for success in their future occupations. This implies that education is a tool for building sound morals and attitudes in people from childhood so it became a part of them. In a similar vein, Ofojebe (2014) asserted that education is crucial for the socioeconomic, cultural, and political growth of any nation at any particular period. This indicates that education will always be required for the continuous growth of any nation at any time period. Bake (2013) is of the assertion that education is essential for the fulfilment, essential for providing literacy and numeracy skills essential for continued development and quality of life. Education includes equipping human resources with the rightful skills, understanding, qualities and competencies that will enable them to participate effectively in the development of their environment for wholesome development. Oseni (2014) further argued that there is a degree to which education fulfils the various roles that have been assigned to it, including its usefulness for employment relevant to the developmental needs of the recipients and the society in which they live and function as citizens, as well as student achievement. Education is thus serving the purpose of adding value to anywhere it is accessible. Additionally, Omemu (2015), citing Anikweze (1989), views quality education as a corpus of highly valued knowledge that is also reflected in observable behaviour and performance of the educational system's product. This indicates that the effect of education is reflected in the performance of students who partake in it.
Mu'uazu (2011) argued that quality education entails the ability to produce graduates from colleges and universities who can function with the proper types of values and attitudes for the survival of individuals as well as society at large. This implies that education is of good quality when it leads to the attainment of one's goals outside of the learning environment. It is also recognised that among the many elements that contribute to the attainment of goals and objectives, aside from human resources, proper money has been highlighted as perhaps the most important in preserving and enhancing the quality of education (Idialu and Idialu, 2012). This implies that despite the numerous benefits of education, it cannot be efficient without proper funding. It is observed that there is a continual lowering of the allocation to education rather than a progressive march towards the minimal level of 26% that the government should allocate to education annually (Chukwurah, 2011). This should not be so, but it is the reality that is faced in Nigeria due to the ignorance and dismissive attitude of those in power. The missing gap is the focus on adequate funding in the educational system with proper policies guiding it, and this study is looking into prioritising funding in education notwithstanding politics, which is why this study is been carried out.

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
University education is at the top of the chain of higher education, where resources in the form of human capital are able to engage competitively as a result of effective training leading to worldwide reform and development. A university is an institution of learning at the pinnacle of education where in the course of years of study in a chosen discipline, an academic degree is awarded at the end of said programme.
Achibong (2012) observed that the academic staff is the single most important group of people in achieving educational goals. Academic personnel is essential to the knowledge industry's endeavours. In order to attain the necessary social, economic, and technological growth, society depends on activities performed in tertiary institutions like universities to provide a variety of community services in addition to teaching and doing research. This indicates that even the human resource in universities need to be maintained and developed. Furthermore, Prokhorov (1970) as cited in Ofor-Douglas (2022), defined "university education" as "the totality of generalised and specialised knowledge and skills that enable a university graduate to solve problems that he encounters in the industry or to perform scientific research or pedagogically work within the area of specialised knowledge that he has acquired". This implies that a university education is a series of lessons, theoretical and practical, that equip a graduate with the skills to succeed in the workforce. employees to work for them. This skill can be developed at the university.
• Individuals are required to have degrees for a wide range of careers such as medicine, education, engineering, accounting and law, and the university provides for the obtainment of such degrees. Nisar (2015) recognised that the effectiveness of strategies for the education systems improvement "depends upon the amount of money tied with such resources and the dependence of Universities on such sources of revenue".

Politics
Politics can be seen as a means to resolve conflicting opinions by organising, producing, and distributing human and natural resources in human society and not to be employed by some politicians who use their call for national service as a buccaneering expedition for personal enrichment, for personal aggrandisement and personal group protection, to orchestrate crisis in the educational system. Harold (2010) posits that politics is a system of "who gets what, when, and how." This suggests that using politics as a technique can help one achieve their goals while also satisfying the requirements of their supporters. Ebegbulem (2010) opines that the art of 'influencing, manipulating, or confronting' groups in order to advance one party's objectives while weakening those of another is what constitutes politics. This suggests that politics is a way to win over people's favour while alienating support for the opposition. Ogbodo (2019) emphasised that because politics is necessary for governance, it is also necessary for the delivery of public education. This indicates education requires politics to function because most of its resources are sourced from there. Similarly, Okoli & Okoli (1994), cited in Biko (2016), agree that politics is ingrained in every part of how the country is organised, including education, and that it is important to comprehend it.
Akindutire, Ayodele, and Osiki (2011) maintain that political leadership has a significant impact on how resources are allocated. Through budgetary appropriation, the political authority (military or civilian) decides who receives what from the financial resources. This suggests that political factors have an impact on the budgeting and allocations for education (university education). The academics mentioned above also claim that Nigeria and other African nations depend on their governments to support university education. According to the authors, it would be a bad idea to rely solely on one source of funding for universities since it would pose problems with the budgetary allocation for education in the event of a change in government. In agreement with Akindutire, Ayodele Osiki and Edet et al. (2020) claims that politics exists within all associations and organisations, formal and informal, as well as among political parties that control governmental policy at the local, state, and federal levels. This shows that politics permeates every aspect of most organisations and influences the choices that are made there. Similarly to this, Edet et al. (2020) assert that politics can be found inside a political party that has legislative authority at the municipal, state, and federal levels as well as in any group or organisation, whether official or informal. This indicates that politics permeates into different spheres of human interaction and affects everyone in society. Similarly, Ekpoh and Edet (2017) observed that every facet of daily life, including the household, places of worship, governmental and private organisations, and educational institutions, has been influenced by politics. Politics has permeated every institution, including the family home, places of worship, public and private organisations, and educational institutions.
Olajire (2019) stated that politics shape education and education affects politics. Additionally, they stated that there is a connection between politics and education and this includes: • Every education system has political goals • Politics comes before education • Politics determines the type of education to be adopted • The education of the youths is probably the most fundamental take of society • The political order of society sets the pace for education Olajire (2019) upheld that politics involves the control and allocation of resources to educationbased allocations that are politically affected. The author also states that Nigeria has failed to meet up with standards for education allotments despite it is politicians using education development as a piece in their manifestos. This indicates that despite the reliance of the ordinary man on the promises of politicians regarding the improvement of education, they have been faced with constant disappointment.
Olajire (2019) opined that the faces and voices currently leading the education reform movement in Nigeria are appointees and self-proclaimed reformers who, while often well-meaning, lack significant expertise or experience in education.
Olajire (2019) maintains that the educational system is founded on vices that have reduced productivity, and individuals in positions of authority have been appointed through political influence, as seen by the following effects: • Insufficient professionals and inadequate staff • The admissions procedure is being monetised • Persistent strike • Poorly maintained classroom and learning environment.
• Examination malpractice • Graduates are of poor quality Unfortunately, the majority of politicians are unaware of how education contributes to overall national progress and development; as a result, financial allocations for education are subject to political manipulation. (Maduagwu & Nwogu, 2006), cited in Abali and Nwapi (2017). This suggests that there is ignorance on the part of the nation's politicians on how vital education is to the wellbeing of individuals and the nation's economy, and as such, there is insufficient funding and attention towards the education sector.

Funding
Funding is the heartbeat of education and for educational programmes to have meaning, all that is required in terms of funds must be in place for the provision of human and material resources (Ise, 2014). This implies that without funding, education cannot progress or cause a greater impact.
According to the World Bank (2009), funding is necessary for education to fulfil the purpose of attaining quality education. Brookes, Croves, O'Neil, and Robertson (2010) assert that funding is the act of providing money to a certain project, group of people, or objective. Thus, funding can be seen as making the necessary financial service towards making a goal more attainable.
Ogbonnaya (2012) maintains that funding entails providing cash, and credit facilities, such as 'trade credits, rent, rates, bills, undistributed profits in the form of retained earnings, reserves, depreciation provisions and other items.
Ololube (2013) and Amadi (2013) observe that Nigeria is not adhering to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommendation that 26% of a nation's annual budget go into the education sector. They went on to claim that Nigerian funding for education is below the minimal level of 26% recommended by UNESCO. This indicates a lackadaisical attitude towards education on the part of the nation's leaders, who are meant to have the citizens' best interests at heart. In addition to having a negative effect on the quality of the teaching and learning process at our institution of higher learning, the current level of student support is now insufficient (Afolayan, 2015). This implies that underfunding has caused massive negative impacts on the education sector that will take a lot of effort to resolve. Imhabekhai and Tonwe (2001) posit that poor funding for higher education today puts the management of universities under stress and strain, making it impossible for them to deliver basic services. This indicates that poor funding makes any activity in the university difficult and that takes the joy out of learning. Consequently, poor funding has caused a widespread crisis in the system that has resulted in strikes by academic and non-academic staff, a lack of equipment and facilities, indiscipline among staff and students, an increase in the activities of secret cults, and other issues. It has also led to a consensus that the equipment for teaching, research, and learning is either lacking or extremely inadequate and in a bad enough condition to deny the universities the freedom to carry out the fundamental functions (Agha, 2014).
In every official and non-government forum on education, this is typically highlighted, albeit as empty rhetoric (Ugwoke, 2013). The majority of the teaching staff have emigrated in large numbers in search of better opportunities abroad, leaving the universities and other educational institutions in a state of advanced disintegration. This has caused a systemic crisis that is out of control, leading to strikes by academic and non-academic personnel, a lack of facilities and equipment, indiscipline among staff and students, and an increase in the activities of secret cults, among other things. It is thus implied that a vast amount of skilled manpower has fled the country for greener pastures and has caused a massive gap in the standard of Nigerian universities when compared to the ones abroad.
Universities have no freedom to perform their fundamental duties since the equipment for teaching, research, and learning is either absent or woefully inadequate and in poor condition (Agha, 2014;World Bank, 2009). This indicates that poor funding does not allow universities to reach their full potential, as any intended development is stifled by the inability to actualise its goals. Consequently (Ebong, 2013) opines that funding is the 'fuel and lubricant 'that drives any enterprise, non-profit, or activity that has to be sponsored. Moreover, Chijioke, Enaohwo, and Ohia (2017) observe that finance is a key factor in the success of higher education (university education inclusive) around the world. This implies that without adequate and purposeful finances, no university can meet its goals.

Funding University Education in Nigeria
Ogbogu (2011) observes that appropriate finance is necessary for universities to fulfil their responsibilities. These funds are usually unavailable or only available to the extent of little development made. Ololube (2013) mentioned that the money granted at any level of education is intended to support teaching and learning activities by paying wages, benefits, and allowances as well as for the construction and provision of educational infrastructure. The financial challenge facing university education in Nigeria is gross underfunding which could be linked to undue reliance on the government for funds by university managers (Eragbe, 2014). This poses the question as to if the universities are meant to be largely responsible for their funding or not.
Despite the widely accepted fact that money is a critical component in the improvement of the educational system in African nations, Nigeria included, the government has not given the funding of the education industry enough attention (Nwadiani, 2000). This indicates that the priority towards education in Nigeria is very low.
In the view of Nwagwu (2010), the Nigerian government has not consistently allocated 26% of its total annual budget to education, as recommended by (UNESCO). The majority of universities in Nigeria are currently involved in various business operations, including hotels, printing presses, gas stations, bookshops, and consulting. The performance of such occasionally runs counter to the main goals of a university education, which are focused on teaching and research. A well-funded university offers a model for high-quality education by ensuring academic pursuits, where it is anticipated that highly qualified labour would be produced.
The double jeopardy appears to make the problems facing the educational system worse. This has led to several issues, including inadequate teaching and research facilities and insufficient infrastructure that continue to obstruct efficient management at Nigerian universities (Aina, 2002).
The circumstance has caused a considerable burden on the university administration (Nwadiani and Ofoegbu, 2005). This indicates that education will slowly retrogress as time goes by because what should be done to cause effective change has not been properly considered or actualised.
Concerned about the persistent complaints about the underfunding of public educational institutions, the Federal Government of Nigeria (2014) advised university administrators through the National Universities Commission (NUC) to investigate different avenues for generating 10% of their anticipated revenue from sources inside and outside of their institutions in order to address their financial issues rather than relying almost exclusively on government subsidies. This indicates a lackadaisical attitude of the Nigerian government towards actively assisting in dissolving the issues universities face.
Oseni (2012) claimed that due to inadequate funding, the country's educational system is plagued by a wide range of issues that are getting worse by the day, and public universities in Nigeria are entirely dependent on government funding to exist. This poses a threat to the further development of Nigerian universities. The effects of lack of funding include; inadequate classrooms and offices, inadequate laboratories for teaching and research, a lack of books and journals, indiscipline, inconsistent and poorly thought-out policies, low staff-tostudent ratios, poor record keeping, fraud and self-deception regarding accreditation, failure to send staff on a regular basis to short courses to improve and enhance their competencies, and the fact that the mutual agreements between the government and the unions of educational institutions are frequently broken.

Effects of Inadequate Funding on the Performance of University Education
Agha (2014) opines that the underfunding issue, which is a significant challenge facing the Nigerian university system, has a negative impact on the performance of the institutions.
Fasihul (2003), the effects of declining funding in Nigerian university systems can be shown in a number of instances, including: • Reducing lab and practical classes.
• Fewer field excursions overall.
• A decline in the number of academic conferences that are attended.
• A decrease in the expenditure on basic laboratory supplies, chemicals, and library books.
• Embargo on new employment • Embargo on research fellowships • Giving fewer research grants Odebiyi and Aina (2007) claim that insufficient funding for universities and other higher institutions has a negative impact on teaching and research and that universities have been driven to start incomegenerating enterprises in order to raise money. This frequently underlies a string of labour disputes involving staff development initiatives. This indicates that despite universities' decisions to become self-reliant, there has not been much change in the poor state of the education system, and more issues have resulted. Bamiro and Adedeji (2010) posit that federal universities spend only 1.3 percent of their budgets on research, while the Nigerian government spends just 0.1%. This has effects on development since research serves as a real catalyst for nations' economic progress and is propelled by sufficient investment. Adeniyi (2008) highlighted that there is a general education in university productivity and efficiency due to a lack of funding. This implies that efficiency is at an all-time low in Nigerian universities and this will definitely be felt by the students who rely on this education. Agha (2014) stated that the performance of these institutions is impacted by the funding of university education in Nigeria. The financial situation of Nigerian universities was explained using the African political model. The results showed that despite the Federal Government providing around 90% of the cash, it has been unable to successfully support the system because of the social, political, and economic downturn. This is clear from the subpar research and teaching, the unfavourable working environment, and the insufficient focus on staff development. The result is that Nigeria's university education ambitions have not yet been met. Ekundayo and Ajayi (2009) looked at the plethora of issues preventing the management of the Nigerian university education system effectively. These include the financial crisis, subpar infrastructure, brain drain, loss of academic autonomy, graduate unemployment, aggressive and erratic student unionism, covert cults, shoddy exam processes, and sexual harassment, according to their report. This indicates that poor funding is just one of the major setbacks to the development of Nigerian universities, and it could also be a catalyst for the emergence of more setbacks.
Adeyemi (2011) identified how education is financed in Nigeria education. Since the introduction of formal education in the nation, the financing for education has been reviewed. The analysis showed the overall revenue going to the federal government and how much was spent on education at different times, demonstrating financing gaps in the system. The results showed that, despite expectations, education funding has never been at 17% in any one year, even with the minimum standard set by UNESCO of 26% of the national budget. This implies that the government is not making valuable considerations towards the education sector despite its vast importance towards the future of the nation.
Similarly, Abdu (2003) maintains that the regrettable assumption of both parents and students is that each new initiative in the management of tertiary institutions (University education inclusive) will result in the implementation of tuition fees. Despite the standard government subventions (allocations) to universities, there are still challenges facing higher education institutions, particularly universities, in meeting the 10% internal fund-generating quota. These can only be made possible with sufficient funding.
Afolayan (2015) observed that between 2009 and 2013, Nigeria's higher education spending trend and its impact were on the rise. The research found various inconsistencies in the funding and the use of the available monies. The federal government allocated N 1.3 trillion for special intervention in Nigerian public universities over the next six (6) years, of which N200 billion has been released, according to the study's analysis of the response to the report of the needs assessment of Nigerian universities conducted in 2012. Making pertinent recommendations for addressing the problems mentioned served as the paper's conclusion.
According to all the studies on tertiary education funds, Nigeria still has subpar educational facilities. Nigerian universities are rapidly deteriorating at this rate. The facilities required for the provision of education, including dormitories, libraries, lecture halls, laboratories, student books and journals, and office spaces, are all significantly disorganised.
When education, including university education, is underfunded, the foundation of education is weak, and the products of such a foundation are intellectually weak (Okorie, 2020). This implies that any higher learning institution that is poorly funded will usually be the product of unskilled and, thus, unqualified graduates. Akintoye (2008) opines that several occurrences display the side effects of degrading finances in higher education (Nigeria University), and they include: • Reduction in the number of field trips, • Reduction in lab practical and practical classes; • Reduction in the participation of academic conferences; • Decreased expenditures on basic laboratory supplies, chemical products, and library books • No fresh appointments are made • An almost complete ban on study fellowships; • A reduction in research grants.
• Strategic profiles and core areas that are too limited • A decline in variety in research and instruction • Risky completion of studies that are currently unpopular or expensive (and unprofitable) studies • Loss of independence due to an increase in reliance on outside sources of finance • Added administrative duties that come at the expense of research and instruction • Less cooperation (harmonisation) amongst universities as a result of heightened rivalry.

Problems Caused by Politics of Funding in Nigerian Universities.
Ahaotu (2012) observed that some of the University of Nigeria Nsukka's infrastructure, such as water and power supply, are the result of in-house revenue. This is seen in several public universities in Nigeria, and it creates a terse learning environment for students when the university does not allocate its in-house revenue to the university's development. Ogbogu (2011) maintained that the academic staff did not regularly attend workshops and conferences, and there was a sharp decline in the number of research fellowships and grants, especially at state universities like Ebonyi State University. This indicates that the lack of funding has severely stalled staff development.

Effect of Poor Funding
Lack of Motivation: Motivation is the inner derive for an employee to increase productivity in the organisation. Vinary (2014) opines that motivation is a management concept that managers utilise to motivate employees to give their all-in order to achieve predetermined goals. Promotions raises in pay, and financing for research projects are just a few of the ways that institutions can motivate their students. The university faculty are easily bribed, and their decisions are easily influenced by politicians when there is a lack of welfare-related motivation.

Lack of Development:
This is when there is little to no change in the ways of quality and efficiency in the education sector. Lucky, Uwaezuoke, and Seibai (2018) maintain that it is a well-known truth that education receives the least amount of funding in budgetary allocation in practically all economies. University research objectives are also impacted by this financial dilemma. The hallmark of university education is research, which is doing an investigation into a problem in order to propose informed solutions that will be advantageous to the university communities, the greater society, and the globe at large.
Lack of funding has also halted the development of academic staff who would require the universities funding to develop themselves. Michaela (2012) asserts that research is essential for universities to directly contribute to knowledge production and sustainable development. As a result of inadequate funding, there is a direct impact on professors, students, and the nation's attitude toward education. This evidence of lack of financing stifled growth, creativity, and innovation in the academic setting.

Corruption
Corruption is a disease that affects all nations and manifests itself in various ways in Nigerian university education. In addition to increasing the expense of higher education, corruption has also decreased the quality of university education in many African countries, which has hampered socioeconomic progress (Transparency International, 2013). Dawari (2012) observes that the high level of corruption prevented the government from implementing the UNESCO recommendation to allocate 26% of the country's budget to education, causing the neglect of the education centre. Additionally, Abule (2016) believes that corruption in Nigeria has infiltrated every sphere of society. He asserted that fundamental changes must be made in all Nigerian schools, colleges, and institutions if the nation is to achieve academic greatness. Asema and Mamkaa (2013) opine that corruption is violent cancer that has cut deeply into and strangled all of Nigeria's development's critical cells.
With the excess of corruption in the political sphere and in the education sector, it is no surprise that there is no progress on either front. To cover up the deficit of funding from either the lecturers or the university administrators, many resorts to corrupt practices to get by.

Inadequate Facilities/Poor Infrastructure
The US Legal (2018) is of the view that educational facilities be provided to students so that they can use every opportunity to develop their full potential. The fund is required to acquire up-to-date facilities for students in Nigeria Universities to be at par with their counterparts in the Western world. The situation is reversed in Nigeria, as most of the facilities in Nigerian universities are outdated. Fafunwa (2010), there is a gap in the quality of students in overcrowded classrooms with outdated and subpar equipment and disgruntled teachers. This indicates that the quality of education one receives can be heightened by proper and adequate facilities. The lack of such facilities will reduce the value of education and the morale of students and lecturers.

CONCLUSION
University education is the heartbeat of any nation because it is the producer of skilled manpower in society. For university education to achieve its goals and objectives in Nigeria, the Federal and State Governments need to do the needful for it to attain its target goals. Therefore, politics should be devoid of funding university education, as university education is the powerhouse for the training of skilled manpower in the country for the sustainability of the undergraduates and the nation at large (stimulating the growth of its economy -its Gross Domestics Products (GDPs). Funding university education will boost the accreditation of old and new faculties and departmental courses, infrastructure, and other facilities in the system to attain quality university education, but where politics is meddling with university education, it may result in a lack of maintenance of basic infrastructure, abandonment of ongoing projects in these universities. Also, there will be issues of lack of qualified manpower to handle courses effectively, as the qualified ones will seek greener pastures elsewhere (brain drain). Again, the university's good intentions and policies may be thwarted; therefore, the Federal and State Governments need to urgently take proactive steps to ameliorate the ugly trend of politicising university education in other to bring back the glory of Nigeria the way it used to be before now. It is equally important to add that various governments (leaders) in Nigeria have not seen the importance of funding University education as most of them did not attain university education qualifications.

Suggestions for Ameliorating Politics of Funding in Nigerian Universities
• There should be a provision of better welfare for the staff of the university to motivate them so they would not be swayed by the glittering promises of politicians.
• University education needs adequate funding to function efficiently and effectively for it to achieve its goals and objectives. The fund that is allocated to the various universities from the Federal to the State level should be put to judicious use so as to accomplish the goals and objectives of university education in Nigeria. This will enable the academic and nonacademic staff to attend conferences, seminars, and in-service training. It will also increase productivity in the system and produce qualified products for society.
• Incidents of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian university system should be shunned and totally eradicatedzero corruption.
• Adequate provision of facilities, especially ICT, internet, state-of-the-art libraries and wellequipped hostels to avoid the influence of politics in the funding of Nigerian universities.