The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, has criticized governors for creating state universities that they cannot adequately fund. He claims that many governors are establishing these universities primarily to gain access to funds from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
In an interview on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” program, Prof. Osodeke stated, “Any governor today establishing a university is eyeing TETFund as a source of funding.” He emphasized that TETFund was intended as an intervention fund for public universities, but it is now being exploited by politicians and civil servants through corrupt procurement and contract practices.
“TETFund was created as an intervention fund, not the major source of funding. The federal government is supposed to fund federal universities, and state governments are supposed to fund their own universities,” he explained. “However, some people within the political and bureaucratic circles are determined to access this money at all costs, leading to struggles over these funds.”
Prof. Osodeke called for a transparent structure involving all stakeholders in the allocation and expenditure of TETFund resources. “There should be a stakeholders’ meeting to assess the intended use of the funds,” he said, suggesting that the university community, including lecturers and student groups, should be involved to ensure transparency and accountability.
He also criticized the current practice where external parties dictate projects to universities, often acting as both project proposers and contractors. “Every university council should be allowed to run its projects with stakeholder involvement,” Prof. Osodeke added.
