The House of Representatives moved the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Establishment Act Amendment Bill forward on Thursday, with the bill successfully passing its second reading.
The proposed amendment seeks to add new conditions for institutions in Nigeria to access funds for capital projects from TETfund, encouraging self-reliance in the development of their infrastructure.
Sponsored by Speaker Abass Tajudeen and lawmaker Babajide Benson, the bill targets the revision of Section 7 of the existing TETfund Act of 2011.
This proposed change introduces two additional subsections, aiming to foster accountability and greater initiative among tertiary institutions in the development of their infrastructure.
During his presentation, Benson emphasized that TETfund was initially established to address the chronic underfunding of government institutions, which had led to severe infrastructural deficits.
He underscored that the agency was meant to supplement, not replace, the efforts of these institutions in developing conducive learning environments.
Poor facilities and inadequate infrastructure had previously resulted in low morale among both teaching and non-teaching staff.
Benson noted that the persistent issues facing government-owned institutions, including “lack of capacity, integrity, laziness, and misappropriation of funds,” were hindering effective development.
He clarified that TETfund’s role was to “assist in addressing infrastructural deficits” rather than assume full responsibility for these projects.
In explaining the purpose of the amendment, Benson stressed the importance of holding institutions accountable for their infrastructural development.
“Any institution that is unable to provide evidence of what it has done in the three preceding years are ineligible to access the fund,” he stated.
This amendment is intended to shift the culture of dependence on TETfund, by pushing institutions to demonstrate initiative and self-sufficiency before they can benefit from the agency’s support for capital projects.
The bill’s new provisions aim to ensure that institutions take a proactive role in their own development, thereby relieving some of the burden on TETfund and promoting more efficient use of available resources.
