Lawmaker canvasses upward review of TETFund’s education tax

Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund and Services, Hon.
Aminu Suleiman, has re-echoed the need for an upward review of education tax from corporate organizations being payable to Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
Suleman said at the commissioning of President Muhammadu Buhari’s senate building at the University of Maiduguri, the clamour for upward review of education tax was justified, judging from what the Fund has been doing in universities In a press statement signed by Director, Corporate Affairs and Public Relations, Ebikwo Benn, quoted Suleiman as saying that “tertiary institutions in Nigeria would have been mere glorified secondary schools without TETFund interventions.
“Over the years I have had the privilege of visiting, inspecting and commissioning public buildings, if you will not accuse me of sentiment or being bias, I want to say the clamour for upward review of the percentage that is accruable to TETFund needs to be reviewed upward.
“For over two years, we have been debating, there is a huge resistance from other demanding sectors that we should not increase provision for TETFund.
“But everyone needs to know that TETFund has justified the call for upward review, there is no two ways about it, we all agree that without TETFund, our tertiary institutions would have just been glorified secondary schools.
We have seen what judicious use of public funds is all about and I think everyone should join us in the clamour” the Lawmaker added Executive Secretary of Fund, Dr.
Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, while commissioning the edifice, revealed that from 1999 till date, over N12billion had been allocated to the university, which N11billion, ut of the amount had been accessed for various projects including the one being commissioned.
Baffa lamented that unlike UNIMAID, some institutions were still having their allocations, for several years, waiting for them at TETFund, while using opportunity to inform the university community that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved for TETFund to support the Regional Centre in Research and Production of Knowledge to Counter Violent Extremism at the University of Maiduguri.
Other projects commissioned by Dr.
Baffa aside the President Muhammadu Buhari Ultra-Modern Multi-Billion Senate Building are the Centre for Instructional Technology; Veterinary Teaching Hospital Complex; and 2,200 Seat Capacity Mega Lecture Halls Complex.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof.
Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, said the coming of the Executive Secretary, the Chairman House Committee on Tertiary Education and Services as well as others was a clear testimony of confidence in the council and management of the university as well as the commitment to the realisation of the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari in the development of tertiary education in the country.
“This great occasion coincides with the significant improvement in the security of our host community, following intensive efforts by the Federal Government, especially the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies in dealing with the Boko Haram insurgency”, he said.