The Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund says there is the need for an increase in tertiary institutions tax from 2.5% to 3%, to improve research and development.
The Committee made this submission during its oversight visit to TETFund to ascertain the level of the 2021/ 2022 performance of the budget.
Explaining the reason for the oversight visit, the Committee said; “Upon the enactment of 2022 Appropriation Act, the Senate resolved that Committees should embark on oversight visit on MDAs under their jurisdiction. Consequent upon the above, the Committee commenced this oversight with the main Ministry and TETFund.”
”The fund 2. 5% education tax paid from accessible profit of companies registered in Nigeria has obviously had a massive and sustaining impact on the improving tertiary education in Nigeria through several interventions,” the Senate Committee said.
The delegation led by its Chairman, Ahmed Kaita, described the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono as a Performer extra ordinary.
Kaita said Echono would replicate the same vision and mission of transforming education sector he had while he was serving as the Permanent Secretary of the ministry in TETFund.
The Committee maintained that, Education and Health sectors were two critical sectors that drive development hence the need for an upward review from 2.5% education tax to 3%.
To this end, the delegation hoped that in the third Assembly the tax would be increased to 3%.
Year Under Review
Expressing his satisfaction over the reforms and excellent performance of TETFund for the year under review, the Chairman of the Committee used the opportunity to appeal to the Fund to incorporate Mathematical Centre in its interventions, saying no country can thrive in the area of, research, science, technology, and innovation without embracing mathematics.
Kaita urged TETFund to expedite efforts on providing Oxygen generator requested by the Kaduna State Polytechnic during Covid-19 in 2020.
Also, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, a member of the Committee, commended Echono for the robust interventions, carried out so far and called on intellectuals to provide a home answer to the Ccovid-19 response.
He said;” Nigeria is not an inferior country, if research is fully funded, there will be much results from academia in providing Covid-19 response.”
Utazi also called for entrenching of entrepreneurship in Nigerian university.
Echono appreciated the Committee for its usual support, saying the harmony between the National Assembly and Education Sector was highly responsible for achievements recorded in the sector since past seven years.
He applauded the National Assembly for considering the passing of Finance Act last year which resulted in increase in education tax percentage to 2.5, saying it was done on consultation and share acceptance of the need to increase funding and investment in education.
The Executive Secretary explained that TETFund engaged in establishing, revitalising and support of benefiting tertiary institutions which classified as Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the area of infrastructure, training and development of academic staff, promoting research and innovation.
Echono said in 2021, TETFund disbursed N213bn to tertiary institutions. This, according to him, included the take- off grants for establishment of new institutions and 60 percent of this disbursement goes to the universities,” he said.
Major Reforms
Highlighting major reforms in the Fund, Echono said TETFund had the highest level of disbursement past seven and eight years, stressing that ”through the 2.5% tax received, the Fund has trained over 35000 academic staff both home and abroad with the plan to expand the number. ”
He said Fund has established Centre for Excellent in 24 institutions as a way of making them relevant to society and to solve societal problem.
Other programmes of action included, promoting employability of graduates, empowering tertiary institutions on ICT where each campus will have in library or designated space for 24 hours internet services so that students could access online sources; digitalising thesis- introduction of anti-plagiarism; promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the tertiary institutions.
According him, TETFund is embarking on completion of all the abandoned projects in the Nigerian tertiary institutions by next year, a comprehensive list on the projects and institutions has been compiled with the view of completing them in phases.
Reacting to the Chairman Senate Committee’s request on providing oxygen generator for Kaduna State Polytechnics, Echono explained that Fund had approved N50m for the research, while half of the money has been paid.
On the incorporation of Mathematical Centre in the TETFund’s intervention funds, the Executive Secretary said the decision for the interventions to focus sharply on Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education which was the main driver of law is inhibiting TETFund from inclusion.
He said; ”I made the appeal, the fact that about four of them- Mathematical Centre, Nigerian French School in Badagari, Ugara Arabic Language, and the National Institute for Nigerian Languages, NINLAN, are classified as Inter- University Centres, and integral part of university, the programme they run, even their laws say they should upgrade like universities.”
He, however, said the Fund is collaborating with the Mathematical Centre and the three other inter- University Centres in area like research.
Echono disclosed that TETFund, apart from funding research in Covid-19, is also funding research in Lassa- Fever and communicable diseases.
In his word, “In our research, we are funding research not only in Covid- 19 but in Lassa-Fever. There is an ongoing research in Lassa-Fever, we also have some mega research we are doing for communicable diseases, they are ongoing, as we make breakthrough I will let you know.”
The TETFund’s boss, therefore, attributed the reforms to the combine effect by increased percentage and internal operation measures put in place the management, disclosing that Fund exceeded the contribution it ever received in the past 10years.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
