Daud Olatunji
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has sounded the alarm over the Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024, currently under review by the National Assembly, describing it as a threat to the survival of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
ASUU, in a press release signed by its President, Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed grave concerns over the potential abrogation of the Education Tax, a critical funding source for TETFund, and called for decisive intervention by lawmakers.
The proposed tax regime, as outlined in Section 59(3) of the bill, allocates only 50% of the Education Tax (referred to as the Development Levy) to TETFund in 2025 and 2026, while the remaining funds are to be shared among the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
From 2030 onward, the bill proposes that 100% of the Development Levy be redirected to NELFUND, leaving TETFund without any funding.
ASUU described the bill’s provisions as “dangerous and unpatriotic,” warning that the move to divert TETFund’s resources threatens the agency’s existence and undermines Nigeria’s national development goals.
“Giving zero allocation to TETFund from 2030 is a technical way of abrogating the agency,” the union stated, adding that TETFund’s role in tertiary education infrastructure development, postgraduate training, and research capacity building cannot be overstated.
The union emphasized that TETFund has been instrumental in stabilizing Nigeria’s public tertiary education system over the past decade and a half.
It highlighted several achievements, including the renovation and construction of facilities, staff development programs, and a significant reduction in industrial disputes in tertiary institutions.
ASUU further argued that the redirection of the Education Tax to other agencies violates the TETFund Act of 2011.
It likened the proposed changes to “killing a parent to keep a newborn child alive,” describing it as unethical and against natural justice.
The union warned that such a move would erase the modest gains made in repositioning Nigerian universities for global competitiveness and development.
“The impact of TETFund on every campus of tertiary institutions in Nigeria is beyond description,” ASUU said.
“Abrogating it will set public tertiary education back by many years and undermine the production of quality teachers and support staff across all levels of education.”
The press release also highlighted TETFund’s regional and global significance, noting that countries like Ghana modeled their Education Trust Fund on the Nigerian example, while other African nations have sought to replicate TETFund’s success.
ASUU argued that Nigeria should be improving and sustaining TETFund rather than emasculating or dismantling it.
ASUU called on the National Assembly, particularly Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, to intervene and protect TETFund.
“Abrogating the TETFund Act 2011, by design or default, will be a great disservice not just to education but to Nigeria as a nation,” the union warned.
The union reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding TETFund and its legacy, vowing to resist any attempt to erode the agency’s mandate.
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