Don’t Destroy Nigerian Varsities By Scrapping TETFund – ASUU President, Osodeke
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has fumed against the decision of the Federal Government’s intention to replace the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
President of the Union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke expressed this during Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast programme on Thursday.
Prof. Osodeke reminded the Federal Government on how TETFund has positively changed tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria in the last 30 years.
Osodeke said that the only source of funding Nigerian Universities is from TETFund, which is not gotten from the budget.
He said, “For TETFund, the money is consolidated in an account that is accessed by CBN; it is money coming from companies – investment by companies in education.
“When you go outside the country, companies fund universities, they give grants, which companies are not doing in Nigeria – the only one they are doing is this 2%. So, they should not look at it as tax but investment to produce graduates that would work for you.
Osodeke added that TETFund is a concept, Ghana among other African countries are emulating; saying, “Because of this, in 2021, Ghana passed their GETFUND – Ghana Education Trust Fund. They got theirs from VAT.”
He also alleged that some members of the ruling class “want to destroy public universities and ensure that the children of the poor remain slaves”. Thereby, asking the government to “let the poor breathe” and not suffocate them with anti-people policies.
“Our issue with NELFUND is that in a country like Nigeria, it should be grants; and not a loan.
“All the universities are increasing their fees now; jerking up their fees so that the students will borrow more loans from this NELFUND, encumbering the children of the poor.
“In my university, in my department, I now have less than 10 students in the department, many have dropped out. Apart from some of these big courses like Medicine, Law and what have you, students are dropping out. The children of the poor are dropping out,” he said.
The ASUU president faulted the Tax Bills introduced by the President Bola Tinubu administration saying that stakeholders were not consulted within the educational sector before the bills were sent to the National Assembly.
“TETFund is a product of ASUU. You can’t make the tax laws without meeting with ASUU for inputs before proposing it before the National Assembly.
“The Vice Chancellors were not consulted, Pro Chancellors were not consulted. The people sat down somewhere and said over the next five years let’s scrap it without consulting those who initiated this bill that has transformed Nigerian public universities. That’s not how to work in a system. That’s not how to run a country that is democratic,” he added.
Osodeke said rather than systematically phase out TETFund which derives its funding from consolidated revenue from company income tax, the government should bankroll the newly formed NELFUND from Value Added Tax (VAT).
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