Prof. Hayford Mafuyai, the Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, (Unijos) on Monday canvassed the gradual implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy in universities, contending  that the universities has  basic needs funded on daily basis, which would be disrupted by the stringent rules of the TSA policy.

 Mafuyai's  Unijos whose lecturers are currently on indefinite strike argued that ``For seven weeks now, we have been without funds. The university is a peculiar establishment and should be assisted to function, its  peculiar programmes and circumstances should be given special consideration" 

 He explained that unless the Federal Government slackens the policy to help the universities, most academic systems and calendars will be disrupted.

 The TSA policy caught the university ``in the middle'' of several programmes, resulting  dearth of funds which has  disrupted the usually organised and stable system:  convocation ceremony last month disrupted as it could not pay for jobs done.

 ``Even the programme for the events was not available for use because we could not access funds.

 ``The whole situation was so confusing and we had to do without even the booklet that contained names of the graduands" he submitted.
Some of the programmes he argued faces disruption includes:

 * Funding for  international students and experts on exchange programmes and fellowships;  And other international and local lecturers  on sabbatical in the school.

 *  immediate payment of postgraduate supervision allowances as demanded by lecturers

 He added that the school also had top lecturers and researchers from Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge, and was finding it difficult to sustain such experts.

 ``If we cannot fund such specialists and researchers, there will be a problem because the university will lose its worth as a citadel of research and learning that must steadily be on its toes.''

 Mafuyai urged the Federal Government to take steps to ameliorate the problems the universities were going through so as not to slow down academic programmes.