The legendary Nelson Mandela did describe schooling as a formidable weapon helpful to positively reset the soundness and development of society and humanity.
However in Nigeria, schooling has virulent enemies who curiously enjoy chaos, misinformation, and distractive mischief.
What’s one of the simplest ways to derail instructional development in Africa’s largest nation? Merely pull down – or try to collapse – the buildings, the highly effective pillars that help and develop the sector.
The Tertiary Schooling Belief Fund (TETFund) is one such construction – and it’s underneath assault. TETFund is an intervention company set as much as present supplementary help to all ranges of public tertiary instructional establishments, particularly Universities, Polytechnics and Schools of Schooling, with the principle goal of utilizing funding alongside undertaking administration for the rehabilitation, restoration and consolidation of tertiary schooling in Nigeria.
TETFund was initially established as Schooling Belief Tax by Act No 7 of 1993 as amended by Act No 40 of 1998. The Act was later repealed and changed with the Tertiary Schooling Belief Fund Act No. 16 of 2011.
What’s the substance of the assault initiated by some shadowy operator (s) that petitioned the Nationwide Safety Adviser,NSA, claiming the Fund gave out cash to a political celebration in a Northern state? Particularly, a bit of the social media has been inundated with pictures of a letter purportedly written by the Lady Chief of the Adamawa State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Mrs. Patricia Yakubu, to the NSA, a part of which comprises insinuations that the celebration obtained funding of N325 million between October 2023 and October 2024 from TETFund.
The woman additionally alleged that “Contracts from TETFund at FCE Yola and GMMC Yola for the good thing about the celebration was stored secret. They bought contracts and hid the proceed.” Primary ignorance by any stretch can’t change into a licence for defaming important establishments and accountable personalities who handle them.
Good a factor, Mr. Abdulmumin Oniyangi, Director, Public Affairs of TETFund, has responded to deliver fast readability to defog the misinformation wittingly or unwittingly deployed within the mixture of mischief and malice to wreck an important establishment and its founding rules.
His phrases: “We want to state unequivocally that the insinuation just isn’t solely preposterous and completely false, but in addition an awesome disservice to the Nation that a person of such political standing, would have interaction in such frivolity with out an iota of proof.
“To additional buttress the futility of the allegations, we want to state in clear phrases that Basic Murtala Mohammed School (GMMC), Yola, the place TETFund contracts have been alleged to have been bought just isn’t a Beneficiary Establishment of TETFund; whereas FCE Yola which is a Beneficiary Establishment is solely liable for engagement of its contractors in keeping with the coverage of the Fund.
“The Fund has noticed that allegations of this nature, sponsored by determined people, have change into the pattern in latest instances however is not going to be deterred in finishing up its statutory mandate which stays funding for the rehabilitation, restoration and consolidation of tertiary schooling in Nigeria.
“The Fund has undertaken this mandate steadily over time each as ETF and TETFund and with renewed vigour underneath the management of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.q
We advise that detractors get their information proper in order to keep away from deceptive the general public.”
Clearly, TETFUND doesn’t instantly award contracts however releases cash to beneficiary establishments. Its statutory configuration doesn’t allow it to patronise political events or politicians however solely beneficiary public instructional establishments in all corners of the nation. Its statutory mandate can be defeated if it strays to patronizing political entities or politicians.
Many politicians – largely unproductive people jostling for political appointments – should search their fortunes some other place reasonably than maligning TETFund. It is usually price noting that TETFund’s transactions are fairly open as a result of it has just one account with the Central Financial institution of Nigeria.
Past the knowledgeable pushback by TETFund’s public affairs directorate, one other unsavoury consequence of this pointless misinformation is that some sections of the media have purchased into the false narrative peddled by a disgruntled woman politician. In dashing into publishing unverified allegations, they broke a cardinal, frequent rule of accountable journalism by not getting the opposite aspect of the story.
The Aljazirah newspaper even went into overdrive and did a canopy story on November 30, 2024, calling out TETFund for alleged corruption. In abstract, the information outlet put each the company and its Govt Secretary on the spot, alleging it expended humongous quantities with out appropriation. Shocking ignorance and willful mischief have been betrayed in that report.
However apparently, they misinterpret TETFund’s Govt Secretary’s unassuming mien as an indication of weak point. Arc. Sonny Echono has responded appropriately with out beating concerning the bush – with the instrumentality of regulation. He’s a core, competent skilled who understands the scope and sweep of his accountability in a strategic sector at a difficult interval.
As of press time, Echono had briefed his authorized counsel – P.H. Ogbole, SAN & CO. – which has instantly received throughout to Aljazirah newspaper, demanding recantation and different remedial imperatives – or they’ll provoke defamation proceedings in opposition to the newspaper. The counsel made it very clear that the publication has impugned Echono’s integrity and injured his hard-earned repute.
Many could not know that Arc. Sonny Echono covets knowledge-driven improvements, proactive engagement with stakeholders, related establishments, coverage makers, and, extra importantly, sure-footed motion. These dimensions have been boldly mirrored in his management of the TETFund regardless of the overarching challenges.
Because it have been, a robust imaginative and prescient attracts in concepts, folks, and different assets. It creates the momentum and can to catalyze change. It conjures up people, complementary organizations, and establishments to commit, persist, and provides their greatest.
Keying into this enduring philosophy, unassuming Echono has additionally deployed impeccable professionalism, self-discipline, and persistence within the endeavour to vary the standard narrative of rising the schooling sector in Nigeria.
It could be pertinent, at this juncture, to light up a few of the statutory rules that drive TETFund’s important operations. The primary supply of earnings out there to the Fund is the three per cent Schooling Tax paid from the assessable revenue of corporations registered in Nigeria. The Federal Inland Income Providers assesses and collects the tax on behalf of the Fund.
The distribution of funds to beneficiary establishments as stipulated within the TETFund Act is within the ratio of two:1:1 as between universities, Polytechnics, and Schools of Schooling.
The Fund is neither concerned within the award of contracts in beneficiary establishments nor even within the nomination of students within the capability constructing intervention, however solely liable for the disbursement of funds and monitoring of initiatives in beneficiary establishments. Awards of contracts are carried out by beneficiary establishments. Although these factors have been made beforehand, they’re price repeating.
Consistent with the TETFund Act, Intervention Allocations should not required to go by means of the Nationwide Meeting for approvals/appropriation as it’s not one of many revenues that represent the Consolidated Income Fund of the Federation underneath Part 80(1) of the Structure. This contradicts a core kernel of Aljazirah’s report.
An interpretation of the provisions of the TETFund Act relating to submissions of TETFund allocations to the Nationwide Meeting for appropriation was given by the Workplace of the Legal professional-Basic of the Federation and Minister of Justice in 2013, the place it was said that the provisions of the TETFund Act didn’t require appropriation of its intervention funds by the Nationwide Meeting.
Due to this fact, these concentrating on this strategic nationwide establishment ought to perish their poisonous mischief and contemplate going after different prey.
– Momodu, a public affairs analyst, is predicated in Benin.
