Separate TETFund Budget, from Annual Education Budget- Prof. Osodeke
Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) has asked the federal government to separate the budget of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, from annual education budget. He explained that the measure would enable effective budget implementation.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodoke, said this at the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research, TETFAIR, Showcase and Closing Event, held Thursday, in Abuja.
Osodeke, who was speaking against the backdrop of suspicion that the national budget may not enjoy 100 per cent implementation, observed that strangely, for the first time, government decided to add TETFund’s budget to the national budget.
The ASUU president added that once TETTund’s budget is included in the national budget, “it is finished.”
He also called on Nigerians to deal with inferiority complex, which allows them to depend on services abroad, stating that every country in the world that wants to develop must use its ideas and use its people and those ideas are in the universities.
Prof. Osodeke decried continuous patronage of foreign goods and services by Nigerians even when they can be sourced locally.
In his statement, “In 2020 we were challenged to produce something better than IPPIS, it took us two months to produce it, UTA, which we have presented to the National Assembly, to the House; then we said let’s test the twin and IPPIS came last; but Nigeria insisted on using IPPIS.
“Every year, the Nigerian government pays $40 to a company in UK for paying me salary and you reject the one in your university. You want to do anything you run abroad,”.
While commending TETFund for the TETFAIR project, he assured that the men engaged in the scheme can solve Nigeria’s problems, stating that “we must come back home and use our ideas.”
Prof. Osodeke also warned against political interference in TETFund from authorities overseeing the ministry.
“Nigeria is in deep crisis. Our best brains whether in the academic or medical are leaving the country. Thousands of our colleagues, the good ones are leaving the country. Some are leaving to go and farm. We must rescue our country. Allow the money for universities go into universities.”
Source: Vanguard
