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ASUU warns Nigerian govt against scrapping TETFund for NELFUND
On Thursday, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) warned the federal government against replacing the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) with the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, gave the warning in Channels Television’s programme, Sunrise Daily Breakfast.
He said any attempt to phase out TETFund which has been the funding source for tertiary institutions in Nigeria for more than three decades would destroy public education in the country.
The ASUU president alleged that people in the ruling class are determined to destroy public universities and ensure that the “children of the poor remain slaves.”
He insisted that NELFUND which was established to disburse student loans cannot be a replacement for TETFund.
He also lamented that stakeholders in the education sector were not consulted before President Bola Tinubu forwarded the tax reform bills to the National Assembly for consideration.
READ ALSO: Tinubu urges ASUU, NASU, others to ensure uninterrupted sessions in universities
President Tinubu established NELFUND in 2023 to coordinate the student loan scheme in Nigeria.
Osodeke said: “TETFund is a product of ASUU. You can’t make the tax laws without meeting with ASUU for inputs before proposing it before the National Assembly.
“The Vice-Chancellors were not consulted, Pro Chancellors were not consulted. The people sat down somewhere and said over the next five years let’s scrap it without consulting those who initiated this bill that has transformed Nigerian public universities. That’s not how to work in a system. That’s not how to run a country that is democratic.
“Let that Act that was initiated in 1993 that has transformed all Nigerian universities, allow it to stay. If you want to drive NELFUND, go and look for ways to fund it. Don’t take from the one that is in existence to fund it.
“Take 1% or 2% of VAT to fund NELFUND. Don’t take from Peter to pay Peter. Go and look for ways to fund NELFUND.”
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