The Academic Staff Union of Universities has criticized provisions in the Tax Reform Bills that recommend the phasing out of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, describing the move as a death sentence for Nigeria’s public education system.
ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed the union’s concerns during an interview with Channels TV on Thursday.
He argued that scrapping TETFund would undermine the development of public universities and perpetuate systemic inequality by denying quality education to children from poor backgrounds.
“This is a deliberate attempt to destroy public universities. TETFund is the only significant source of funding for higher education in Nigeria. Scrapping it will destroy public education and keep the children of the poor in perpetual slavery,” Osodeke declared.
Professor Osodeke also criticized the federal government for allegedly drafting the Tax Reform Bills without consulting key stakeholders in the education sector.
“ASUU, Vice-Chancellors, and Pro-Chancellors were not consulted. The people behind this decision sat somewhere and made plans to phase out TETFund over the next five years without engaging those who fought to establish this intervention fund,” he said.
The bills propose replacing TETFund with the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
However, Osodeke warned against dismantling an already successful initiative to fund a new one, suggesting instead that the government source funding for NELFUND through Value Added Tax.
“Don’t take from Peter to pay Peter. Let TETFund remain intact. If you want to fund NELFUND, take 1% or 2% of VAT to support it. TETFund is not just a tax; it’s an investment by companies in education, producing graduates who contribute to the economy,” he explained.
Osodeke highlighted TETFund’s pivotal role in transforming Nigerian tertiary institutions, with 90% of the physical infrastructure in public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education attributed to its efforts.
He also criticized claims by Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax and Fiscal Reform, who had reportedly denied that the bills recommend scrapping TETFund.
“He is playing with words. By 2030, the proposal will reduce TETFund’s share of consolidated funds to zero. This is essentially scrapping it,” Osodeke argued, adding that countries like Ghana have replicated TETFund’s model through similar initiatives like their Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), funded by VAT.
ASUU urged the government to prioritize transparency and sustainability in its reform efforts, emphasizing the need to collaborate with academia to identify alternative funding strategies without dismantling a system that has significantly improved tertiary education infrastructure.
“If the government is serious about NELFUND, let’s work together to find sustainable ways to fund it. Don’t tamper with what is already working,” Osodeke concluded.
