TETFund to create intervention line addressing insecurity, power outage on campuses

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to create a new intervention line focused on addressing security and power challenges in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Tertiary institutions in Nigeria face frequent power outages, disrupting academic activities and research.

Inadequate campus security has led to increasing incidents of theft, violence, and kidnappings that jeopardise student and staff safety.

These challenges have sometimes triggered student protests that force public universities to shut down temporarily.

Aminu Bello Masari, chairman of TETFund’s board of trustees, spoke at a two-day retreat on the challenges of security and power in higher institutions.

The retreat was organised by the national assembly in Lagos.

Masari said threats to security and inadequate power supply significantly affect the safety of students and staff, while also hindering academic performance and institutional operations.

He called on the national assembly to revisit the funding structure for public tertiary institutions, which serve over 90 percent of Nigeria’s students.

The TETFund chairman acknowledged that the fund’s resources are limited but emphasised the importance of focusing support on these pressing issues to safeguard the future of education.

“Education is the bedrock of national progress. Its funding must reflect its importance. Security and power are critical for ensuring the stability of our institutions,” he said.

The retreat was attended by prominent lawmakers, including the chairman of the senate committee on tertiary institutions and TETFund Muntari Dandutse, and the chairman of the house of representatives committee on TETFund Miriam Onuoha.

Also at the event was Adams Oshiomhole, a member of the senate committee.

TETFund, established in 2011, primarily monitors the disbursement of education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

It provides supplementary support to public tertiary institutions as infrastructure, staff training, and research funding among others.

The fund’s main revenue source is the three percent education tax paid from the assessable profit of companies registered in Nigeria.