From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodoke, has represented a suggestion that tertiary institutions should start accessing interventions from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) after 10 years of establishment.
Prof. Osodoke, at a Townhall Meeting organised by TETFund in Abuja on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, said the condition will discourage the growing interest of politicians in using tertiary institutions as constituency projects, thus relying on TETFund for the funding of such institutions.
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He said: “Many politicians, particularly the governors and members of the National Assembly, are guilty of this. We have repeatedly suggested an amendment to the TETFund Act to allow institutions to start benefitting from TETFund after 10 years of establishment.”
He said: “If this is done, many of the new institutions being established by politicians in government would not survive the test of time because many of them are relying on TETFund money for survival.
“For example, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has a robust faculty of education. I ask myself, why should the federal government establish another University of Education in Zaria? When that money, one tenth of it, you give it to ABU, it will run a bigger faculty than that university.
“Go to Port Harcourt, all over the place. Government is establishing a shanty university. Who are lecturing them? Which is what we are doing to the lecturers today. Lecturers are leaving. ABU said that in less than 10 years, 2,000 of their workers left the system. So, who will lecture in those universities? Let’s be serious as a country.”
Prof. Osodoke also lamented the growing level of “recklessness” of institutions’ managers in managing the financial allocations to their institutions.
He said: “As we speak so, there is a huge sum of money in Central Bank belonging to TETFund, belonging to institutions that have not been utilised. As the last time, when we looked at it, it was close to N600bn. There are universities that have 10 years backlog of money unused in the CBN because those projects have been abandoned.”
Chairman of TETFund Board of Trustees, Aminu Bello Masari, in his remarks, said the town hall meeting represents a significant milestone in the collective journey toward building a more transparent, inclusive, and responsive tertiary education system.
“It is a culmination of the series of zonal town hall meetings undertaken by members of the Board of Trustees across the six geopolitical zones of our country; a deliberate initiative to bring the Fund closer to its stakeholders and the communities we serve.
“The gathering is far more than a routine administrative event; it is a strategic platform for dialogue, accountability, and collaboration. It offers us the opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved, share experiences, listen to your feedback, and together chart the way forward for Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
“Through this town hall, we seek to deepen public understanding of TETFund’s mandate, promote transparency in our operations, and foster a stronger bond of trust between the Fund, its beneficiaries, and the Nigerian people. It is our conviction that education must not operate in isolation. It must remain connected to the aspirations of the people, the developmental goals of the nation, and the demands of a changing global order.”
He said the Board of Trustees remains committed to consolidating the gains of the past while expanding the frontiers of possibility for the future. “We envision Nigerian tertiary institutions that are globally competitive, research-oriented, and innovation-driven, producing graduates who are not only employable but are job creators and solution providers.
“But to achieve this, we will continue to strengthen accountability and transparency frameworks; expand investments in alternative energy and digital learning platforms; promote advanced research in agriculture, health, and technology; and commercialisation and sustainable impact; deepen collaboration with industries and international partners to drive research.
“The progress of tertiary education in Nigeria is a shared responsibility. The government alone cannot carry the burden. It requires the joint efforts of academia, industry, civil society, and our communities. Hence, this town hall meeting is more than an event but a symbol of partnership, transparency, and shared vision. It reaffirms our determination to ensure that every intervention by TETFund delivers measurable and lasting impact on the lives of our people and the future of our nation.”
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, in his remarks, highlighted the efforts of the President that rescued TETFund from being consumed by the newly signed Tax Laws.
“Members of the National Assembly will confirm that the Development Levy on which we are going to be earning half of the allocation was originally two per cent. It was Mr. President in keeping with his promise that said no, and raised it to four per cent, and that was what was passed by the National Assembly.”
He said the President had directed that befitting hostels be built for students across tertiary institutions in Nigeria. “There are 24 Renewed Hope initiative hostels all across our country coming up. We’ll be commissioning two of them before the end of the year in Akwa Ibom and in Warri. Others are coming up, and the president asked us to double it.
“Next year, we are going to take it up at 72 different institutions, having more Renewed Hope facilities all across our campus. Still on students, more comfortable CNG buses have been procured, and they would be launched before the end of the year.”
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