Bisola David
The national president of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Dr Anderson Ezeibe, has urged administrators of polytechnics in Nigeria to utilize the intervention funds released by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund judiciously.
In a conversation with The Punch in Abuja, Ezeibe also called on the Federal Government to increase the amount of intervention funds granted to tertiary institutions in the country. He cautioned against putting companies that are responsible for education taxes received by TETFund in jeopardy.
Ezeibe emphasized the importance of putting the funds to “judicious use,” stating that the value of the intervention fund was insufficient to meet the funding and infrastructure gaps in the sector.
He added that the depreciation in the value of the naira had further reduced the value of the funds, making it crucial to ensure value for money.
In his words, “Beyond the quantum of funds released, it is important to ensure that the funds are put to judicious use.”
The ASUP leader also stressed the need to increase funding for tertiary institutions but cautioned that such increases should not harm the economy or endanger the companies paying the education tax.
He said, “There’s a need to increase funding. We are inclined to support such calls but at the same time for the government to ensure that such increases in taxation do not hurt the economy by endangering the companies paying the tax.”
This publication recalls that the administration of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), approved the sum of N320,345,040, 835 as the 2023 intervention funds for public tertiary education institutions in the country.
