ASUU Urges FG Not to Scrap TETFund

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has strongly cautioned the Federal Government against plans to phase out the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as part of the Tax Reform Bills before the National Assembly.

Speaking at a press conference held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Friday, the Lagos Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, expressed concerns over the proposal to replace TETFund with the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). He warned that scrapping TETFund would have devastating effects on public tertiary education and the economy.

Odukoya, joined by leaders from seven universities in the zone, highlighted TETFund’s critical role in addressing infrastructural decay and underfunding in public universities over the past 15 years. He described the initiative as a “child of necessity” that has sustained the education sector, particularly benefiting students from low-income backgrounds.

The ASUU leader emphasized that many state-owned universities rely heavily on TETFund for infrastructure, laboratories, and academic training. Without it, he noted, public universities could suffer the same fate as underfunded public primary and secondary schools.

“TETFund has been a lifeline for public tertiary education in Nigeria. Its abolition would be a self-serving and unpatriotic decision,” Odukoya said. He questioned the rationale behind replacing TETFund with NELFUND, which focuses solely on providing student loans, warning that the absence of adequate infrastructure, resources, and research funding would render such loans ineffective.

ASUU urged President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to reconsider the proposal and prioritize the long-term interests of Nigeria’s education sector.

The union called on Nigerians to resist the plan, stating that TETFund’s role in enhancing access to quality education for the masses cannot be overemphasized.

“This decision, if carried out, will set the country back. As a nation, we must think deeply before making changes that could jeopardize our future,” Odukoya concluded.