The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has warned President Bola Tinubu against any attempt to sacrifice Nigeria’s educational system in blind obedience to International Monetary Fund, IMF, directed policies.

The Ibadan zone of ASUU issued the warning via a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday.

DAILY POST reports that the zone consists of University of Ibadan, Ibadan; University of Ilorin, Ilorin; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso; Osun State University, Osogbo; Kwara State University, Malete; and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo.

The union in the statement drew the attention of the National Assembly and the Federal Government to the inherent dangers in the proposed abolition of TETFund and its replacement with NELFUND in the proposed Public Benefit and Taxation Bill (PBTB) of 2024.

Zonal Coordinator, Professor Oyegoke Oyebamiji, while speaking, noted that TETFund which is the brainchild of the union has greatly helped in improving infrastructural development in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

He added that the initiative has aided capacity building of members of academic staff, contributed immensely to promotion of cutting-edge researches, and assisted in organizing seminars, workshops and conferences both locally and internationally.

He also said that the initiative has helped in equipping scanty scientific and engineering laboratories, helped in purchasing books to stock obsolete libraries, and in providing state-of-art e-libraries in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Oyebamiji while speaking further, stated that replacing TETFund with NELFUND is tantamount to cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face.

“ASUU notes with serious concern, Section 59(3) of the Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024 which specifically states that only 50% of the Development Levy would be made available to TETFund in 2025 and 2026, while NITDA, NASENI, and NELFUND would share the remaining percentages.

“Government that allocates 7% of budget to education, as against the 15% in its manifesto during campaign and over 20% recommended by UNESCO should be resisted from commercializing public education they had benefited so much from to be who and where they are in Nigeria and the rest of the world.

“TETFund will also receive “66⅔% in 2027, 2028 and 2029 years of assessment” but “0% in 2030 year of assessment and thereafter.

“ASUU urges the National Assembly and the Federal Government to reconsider this proposal and instead, work to strengthen TETFund and ensure its continued relevance in supporting tertiary education in Nigeria.”

Don’t sacrifice Nigeria’s education system for IMF – ASUU warns Tinubu