TETFund faults Ibadan varsity projects, directs institution to summon contractors

Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa has frowned at the quality of projects executed at the University of Ibadan (UI) and directed the institution’s management to recall the contractors to site and ensure that the projects are completed according to specification.

Essentially, Baffa who was at the institution to inaugurate the virology department project, the faculty of science lecture theatre and the food science technology laboratory frowned at the quality of work done and called on the management to address the problem.

He recalled that the university was the meeting point where the decision to establish TETFund, then as Education Trust Fund (ETF) was conceived by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), adding that the institution cannot be found wanting in delivering qualitative TETFund sponsored projects.

Baffa frowned at the quality of finishing for the virology department project, faculty of science lecture theatre and the food science technology laboratory, and directed the management to recall the contractors to site.

“To call a spade with no other name, the contractors handling these projects are not performing to expectation and I have already drawn the attention of the management to try and complete these three projects.

“These are part of the 42 projects financed by TETFund between 2008 to 2014, costing about N6.5billion. We have commissioned six, and out of these, three are not really the way we want to see them. We have already taken steps to correct that, our technical people would return to the institution to follow up on the completion of these projects and the university management will also take the necessary steps to ensure the contractors are recalled to do the needful by ensuring that the agreement signed with the university in terms of quality and the deliverable of the projects are met before we will be able to accept them as duly completed.

He however lauded the institution for remaining the number one ranked university in the country while calling on the management to work towards moving back to its enviable position as one of the best 50 universities in the world.

On the outstanding multibillion naira allocation to the university which is yet to be assessed, the Executive Secretary explained that in line with its Performance Index Disbursement (PID) model, UI cannot commence the drawdown of its 2015, 2016, 2017 and even the about to be released 2018 allocations unless it meets the requirements for such.

“There are Year 2015, 2016, 2017 allocations that they are yet to be able to draw from and we will soon release the 2018 allocation which they will not be able to draw from until they are able to close down the 2011 to 2014 merged allocations. Our interventions are such that we allocate resources but we disburse such resources when you have been able to meet the requirements.