ASUU: TETFund is Required to Specify Where 41% of Released N320bn Is Going.

The distribution of the N320.3 billion that the Federal Government recently allocated for tertiary institutions in the nation has drawn criticism from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N320.3 billion for the 2023 intervention for public tertiary institutions, according to a statement made on Wednesday by the executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono. Each university would receive N1,154,732,133.00 for the 2023 intervention cycle, while polytechnic institutions will receive N699,344,867.00 and colleges of education N800,862,602.

While praising the government for the fund release in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke requested a redistribution of the money such that 90% goes to higher schools.

Osodeke stated, “It (the N320 billion fund) is a positive development; this is part of what we struggled for in 1994; it is our effort, but there are difficulties we need to work out.

The sum of all the universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education comes to just about N186 billion allocated out of about N320, leaving a balance of N132 billion that has not been accounted for, according to a check of the allocation of about N1.2 billion to universities and other institutions. What do we intend to do with the N132 billion, or 41% of the total? What is it for, bureaucracy?

“This is what has been occurring at TETFund, and I believe it is necessary to explore the specifics of what is going on there.

When the TETFund was being negotiated by ASUU, the intention was for the money to be transferred to the institutions rather than 41% being retained for some other use.

“I believe that this fund needs to be redistributed to make sure that it covers 90% of the amount that has been authorized to go to polytechnics and universities rather than being held for administrative costs or anything else. You must inform the public of what the TETFund is doing with the remaining N132 billion, the speaker continued.

Osodeke bemoaned the government’s failure to contact the university lecturers union for a meeting since the strike, which lasted for roughly nine months, was called off, claiming that the majority of the problems that led to the walkout are still unresolved.