By Abba Hamisu Sani
Africa-Press – Nigeria. Honourable Miriam Onuaha is the Chairman House of Representative Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund- TETFund and a member representative, of Okigwe North of Imo State. Federal Constituency.
She is currently serving her second term in the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
In this Interview with Africa Press, she discussed how her leadership focus on ensuring that, the tax-collecting Agency of Government appropriately collects and Remits total collections to TETFUND with evidence of lists of taxpayers, assessable profit and total sums collected by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund establishment Act, among other issues that affect the utilisation of the funds allocated to the Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is an agency established by the Nigerian government in 1993 with the sole aim of providing financial support for tertiary institutions in the country. Its primary objective is to assist in funding research, infrastructure development and other educational initiatives in Nigerian Universities Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
TETFund is governed by a board of trustees and operates under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education. The agency is funded through an intervention fund known as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Levy which is derived from a two per cent tax on assessable profits of registered companies in Nigeria.
The fund is primarily used to support and enhance infrastructure development in public universities polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria. This includes the construction of lecture halls laboratories libraries student hostels and other necessary facilities. TETFund also provides support for the provision of teaching and research equipment as well as staff training and development programmes.
Furthermore, TETFund promotes research and development activities in tertiary institutions by providing grants for research projects conferences and publications. This aims to enhance the quality relevance and impact of research outputs in various fields of study.
The Fund also runs various scholarship schemes for academic staff to pursue postgraduate studies locally and internationally. These scholarships play a significant role in building the capacity and expertise of Nigerian lecturers and researchers.
In recent years TETFund has expanded its scope to include funding for entrepreneurship programmes academic staff training and development as well as the provision of digital infrastructure in tertiary institutions.
Honourable Miriam Onuaha as the Chairman of the House of Representative Committee on TETFund, a major function of your Committee is to oversight the activities of TETFUND as an agency saddled with the responsibility of providing intervention to Federal and state Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of education in Nigeria. How do you find this new assignment and responsibility as the head of this important Committee of a critical sector?
I find this new assignment and responsibility as important and competitive.
As the Chairman, I find this important committee to be interesting because the committee will initiate new ideas to further better TETFUND for the growth of the Education Sector in Nigeria. This includes; Oversight, and ensuring proper funding from respective agencies, companies etc to TETFUND to finance projects.
This year, the budget for interventions in different Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria stands at about N320bn. Is this amount enough and what will your administration (as the Committee Chairman) do to ensure that the funds are judiciously utilized on time for the benefit of the education sector?
I believe the said amount of N320bn will go a long way in funding projects in Tertiary Institutions but an increment of the above-mentioned amount will further help in executing more projects in our Tertiary Institutions.
As the Chairman of the committee, I will ensure the committee embark on oversight of all Tertiary Institutions provided with funds to see to the judicious utilisation of the funds.
The Committee will also embark on monitoring the collection and utilization of the Education Tax which is the major source of TETFUND Revenue Accruals; this exercise will ensure that left-out funds, unpaid or under-assessed payments will be recovered to boost the required funding for more projects execution by the institutions
I also consider the accruals meager because every day the number of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria keeps increasing and with the challenge of unsteady or dwindling FOREX and global inflation issues now, how much impact will the said 320b for 2023 make in the actual sense
The committee in her oversight functions will sanction erring Institutions that are unable to give a proper account of intervention funds released to them or obvious infractions from 2011 to date
There are insinuations that some contractors whose services are employed by some Tertiary Institutions are providing substandard construction and related services to the Institutions on the impunity that they have close relationships with the leadership of these institutions. How would your Committee react to such insinuation?
As I mentioned earlier, the Committee will embark on oversight of Tertiary Institutions to ensure the standards of projects carried out. The committee will also initiate policies that will checkmate to ensure the standard of contractors and Consultants to be awarded TETFUND projects and that due process was followed in such contract awards including adherence to quality project deliveries in Tertiary Institutions in collaboration with the TETFUND agency.
Honourable, what has been your view on TETFUND over the years…has it done well so far and is it yet Uhuru for our tertiary education sub-sector?
Yes TETFUND has done well so far but I believe more can be done that’s why the committee will liaise with TETFUND to ensure we achieve set goals and ensure growth in infrastructures in Tertiary Institutions.
We will ensure that the Agency releases funds to deserving institutions promptly
Ensure that the tax collection Agency of the Government appropriately collects and Remits total collections to TETFUND with evidence of a list of taxpayers, assessable profit and total sums collected by the TETFUND Establishment Act.
What would you want to be known for during your Chairmanship of this committee and also to be remembered for, after your tenure?
I will be known for my great performance as Chairman of this important committee in changing the narrative of TETFUND by some people out there. Some of these are; Sincerity, Transparency, teamwork, ensuring oversight by the committee to Tertiary Institutions and ensuring increased funding for TETFUND to implement Tertiary Institutions projects and programmes adequately.
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