Nyesom Wike, education minister, said the Federal Government under President Goodluck Jonathan has invested more in education than any other administration before him and yet it is was not being appreciated.
Wike while speaking at a South-East Stakeholders’ Education Forum held in Enugu said the stakeholders’ appraisal would showcase the huge investments government has made in education both through budgetary provisions and intervention agencies like Education Trust Fund (TETfund).
He said that since 2012 the Federal Government had through TETfund increased the number of benefiting institutions from 164 to 189, and has also spent over N110 billion on education and the details, of the spend according to Wike, stands as follows: “We spent N29.9 billion in 2011; N35.9 billion in 2012 and N45.2 billion in 2013; in funding infrastructure, teaching and learning in tertiary institutions.
He explained that the meeting was not to probe the vice chancellors, “Our concern is to let you know that this government is doing a lot and is ready to do more.”
The Minister attended the forum with MacJohn Nwaobiala, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Education; Musa Babayo, chairman of TETFUND; and Aliyu Na’Iya, acting executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
The Institutions present at the TETfund Stakeholders’ Summit were Federal Polytechnic, Nekede; Federal College of Education (technical); Umunze and Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Others include Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana; Federal College of Education, Eha Amufu; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. Also present were Federal Polytechnic, Oko; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri; and Federal University, Ndufu-Alike.
Babayo said the fund had N31bn allocation for schools in the South-East zones but regretted that institutions had only been able to access N10bn of this sum. He called for speedy execution of projects and retirements by institution managers to enable them access the outstanding sums.
Na’Iya said TETfund interventions based on the 2 percent Education Tax on companies in Nigeria seek to “provide sustainable support in the funding of education in Nigeria.”
Regis Anukwuoji
