Sokoto ASUU Chairman Warns: Scrapping TETFund Threatens Public Education

At a press conference held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Sokoto, Professor Abubakar Sabo, the chairman of the Sokoto zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), expressed strong opposition to the government’s efforts to undermine the funding source for Nigerian public education. He argued that diverting funds from TETFund to support the newly established Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) would severely harm the country’s public universities.

“TETFund is the only source of funding for public universities, so if you destroy it, you have effectively destroyed public education in Nigeria,” Sabo stated. He also accused certain members of the ruling class of attempting to dismantle public universities and keep the children of the poor in a perpetual state of disadvantage.

The ASUU leader also criticized the tax reform bills proposed by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying that educational stakeholders were not consulted before the bills were sent to the National Assembly. He specifically referenced the proposed scrapping of TETFund, which was established in 1993, and argued that such decisions should not be made without consulting those who helped create it.

“TETFund is a product of ASUU. You can’t propose tax laws without consulting us first. You didn’t consult the Vice Chancellors, the Pro-Chancellors, or any of the stakeholders who initiated this funding structure that has transformed our universities,” Sabo emphasized. “This is not how a democratic system should function.”

Sabo called for a different approach to funding NELFUND, suggesting that the government should explore alternative sources, such as Value Added Tax (VAT), rather than dismantling TETFund, which is funded by the company income tax. He pointed out that most of the physical infrastructure found in Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and Colleges of Education today is a direct result of TETFund’s efforts.

The ASUU chairman also referenced other countries, like Ghana, which had adopted similar education trust funds funded by VAT, and called for Nigeria to follow suit instead of weakening its existing education funding mechanism.

Sabo also raised concerns over the growing burden on students, as universities are increasing their fees, which would force more students to rely on loans from NELFUND. He argued that in a country like Nigeria, such funding should be in the form of grants, not loans that burden the children of the poor.

The union called on the government to abandon what it described as “anti-people” policies and to leave TETFund intact, stressing that the future of Nigerian education is at stake.

“The issue is not just about ASUU; it’s about the future of Nigeria,” Sabo concluded. “The government is already spending less than 10% of its budget on education, which is far below the 15% minimum in other West African countries. If you destroy TETFund, you will destroy Nigerian education for good.”