Although the annual Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Strategic Planning Meeting with beneficiary institutions has come and gone, its memories will linger in the minds of stakeholders for a long time to come.

It was a session of many firsts – the highest disbursement in the history of the Fund (N683billion), the first time academic unions were involved in the strategic among others.

This year’s meeting witnessed heads of over 250 public tertiary institutions in the country in attendance. TETFfund Auditorium, venue of the occasion, which was filled to capacity also had heads of regulatory agencies in the sector in attendance including the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education. Also in attendance were academic unions including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) among others.

Setting the tone for the meeting, TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, submitted that the session had evolved into a veritable forum for performance evaluation and fostering cross fertilization of ideas between the Fund and beneficiary institutions. The yearly event, he stated, has advanced from monologue to dialogue as well as share insights and foster discussions that seek to enhance the Fund’s intervention programmes across its intervention lines.

Some of the major takeaways from his remarks was the need for improved salary of Nigerian academics, minimization of distractions by security, anti-graft agencies and committees of both chambers of the National Assembly to allow institution’s heads do their jobs and stop distracting them with several invitations, the need for heads of institutions to make judicious use of the funds and embrace collective decision-making process,
The Executive Secretary commended scholars and researchers for making giant strides in the area of research, even as he advocated for what he called ‘reasonable salaries’ to be paid academics.

His words: “The salaries of our academics in this country is something that we as a country should address. Because we cannot pretend that we don’t know that all our best brains are leaving our country. While it is a good idea for us to export intellectual assets but we need a basic minimum to service our needs locally. So while we are expanding the provision, let us ensure that we pay reasonable salaries.

“I was having conversation with my colleagues the other day and they couldn’t believe when I told them that the total take home pay of a professor in Nigeria of 20-year standing is not up to N500,000. How do you attract people to come and do cross-fertilization of ideas? Unfortunately TETFund does not have the mandate to make any allocations for recurrent or personnel cost but we will continue to advise the authorities.”Echono expressed the determination of the agency to deepen research, promote innovation and honing of skills in beneficiary institutions.

The agency, he revealed, will equally be expanding access for the diverse student population of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) by upgrading their study centers to experience centers to facilitate improved access to teaching, learning and research.

Echono revealed that while each University will get the sum of N1.9 billion for the year 2024 intervention cycle, each Polytechnic will receive N1.1 billion and College of Education would get N1.3 billion each. This year’s allocation is 71 per cent higher than the N400 billion for public tertiary institutions in 2023.

In like manner, the TETFund Executive Secretary also announced the sum of N25 billion for the upgrade of laboratories, workshops and equipment to public Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (Technical) in the country.

He said: “There will be an upgrade of laboratories, workshops and equipment to Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (Technical) in the Year 2024 intervention.

“Indeed, a significant sum of N25billion is earmarked for this. We want to ensure that they not only have equipment but also have sustainable power for them to be functional. A committee would be set up to review and it would be done on a competitive basis. We are not just going to throw money at the problems. We want to see that these facilities will be properly upgraded and put to use.”

The Executive Secretary commended scholars and researchers for making giant strides in the area of research. In his presentation titled: ‘The Role of Effective Leadership in Management of Tertiary Institutions’ the President, Guardians of the Nation International Leadership Centre, Dr Linus Okorie, underscored the need for responsible leadership.

In their goodwill messages, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Zubairu Abdullahi; Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, his counterpart in National Commission for Colleges of Education, Prof. Paulinus Chijioke as well as the Acting Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki, stressed the need for synergy to enable the intervention agency to deliver on its mandate.

To Abdullahi, TETFund remains one of the agencies under the Ministry that gives succour as it relates to staff unions in public tertiary institutions. He, therefore, called on unions to also serve as a watchdog in monitoring the implementation of TETFund’s projects at the different institutions.

On his part, the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje commended the federal government for the prompt release of disbursement allocation to beneficiary institutions. Represented by the Director, Human Resources, NBTE, Lawal Hafiz, he pleaded for a review of the sharing formula in the disbursement to benefit the polytechnics sector more.

Also, the Acting Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki, tasked beneficiary institutions on effective and efficient utilisation of the allocation.

In its remarks, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) expressed worry over the proliferation of tertiary institutions across the country amid meagre funding for the existing ones.

The umbrella body of academics in the country, accused federal and state governments of establishing new institutions when they appear unable to fund existing ones.

It therefore proposed that rather than abdicate responsibilities to the Tertiary Education Tax Fund (TETFund), proprietors of such universities should be allowed to self-fund them for the first five years before seeking intervention of the intervention agency.

ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, while speaking at the gathering, also kicked against the growing trend of governors establishing new tertiary institutions in the twilight of their stay in office.

Addressing heads of beneficiary institutions across the country, Prof. Osodeke said: “We have proposed to the National Assembly and I think TETFund can bring that as part of its policies that for any university or polytechnic to benefit from TETFund money, they must have funded it for five years.

“That way, a governor who is starting a new university will not have access to TETFund projects till he leaves office. That will reduce this proliferation of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.” High point of the event was the distribution of allocation letters to heads of beneficiary institutions.