NIGERIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT KNOCKS STATES OVER INABILITY TO ACCESS UBEC COUNTERPART FUNDS.

The Fed

eral Govt has described as regreatable, the inability of some states of the Federation in accessing counterpart funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for developing primary education in their States

Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, who stated this at this year's 65th National Council on Education meeting in Jalingo, Taraba State, said, over One Hundred and Thirty Billion Naira (#130,000,000,000)in UBEC custody is still unutilized due to the inability of states to provide their 50 precent counterpart funds, 

Speaking through the Minister of State for Education, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, the Minister said, the affected states need to reprioritize basic education as it is the bedrock for further and continuing education, too strategic to be ignored.

Emphasizing the need for co-operation from the states, Adamu Adamu said the tasks of developing education at all levels, securing our children and ensuring basic sanitation in our schools requires that all hands must be on deck to achieve the desired results.

Also speaking at the ocassion in a goodwill message, former deputy governor of plateau state and current Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen called for greater stakeholder cooperation in the efforts to eradicate the out of school children phenomenon,adding that no child should be left behind.

President of the Association of Proprietors of private schools, Evangelist Ajibade Augustine stated that members of the Association are more than ever before, determined to take more ch.ildren off the streets in their efforts at eradicating the out of school children phenomenon.

TETFund receives draft executive bill for establishment of Nigeria Research Development Foundation, NRDF

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, on Wednesday received the draft executive bill for the establishment of the National Research and Development Foundation, NRDF.

Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof Suleiman Bogoro, who received the draft law from the TETFund NRDF Bill Drafting Committee in Abuja, thanked the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, for drafting  staff of the Justice Ministry for the task.

Bogoro said with the draft bill already submitted, a foundation has been laid for driving Nigeria's knowledge-driven economy, adding that the country has no option than to embrace knowledge in its pursuit of economic development.

He noted that the document is clear on what it intends to accomplish, which is the establishment of a national research and development foundation that will coordinate research efforts in the country to usher it into a knowledge-based economy.

While applauding the committee for its efforts and said it was on a historic mission for the country, he noted that each of the persons invited to the R&D committee was mandated to make a specific contribution for the country.

The TETFund boss said Nigeria's economy cannot be competitive if it does not institutionalise research and development, R&D.

"When we lack the fidelity to implement our policies and lack the discipline to enforce our laws, it is precisely why Nigeria has failed. We have failed to attain our potential as a nation because of some of these areas.

"And let us admit collective guilt we shouldn't be back-passing; so when we bring ourselves like this, those in government are there, the academia, of course, are there; the industry operators are there.

"We agree to come together to speak the same language, the ultimate outcome, we agree to be a more competitive Nigerian economy and the nation overall," he said.

According to him, there was need to rejig and reflect over the issue of governance in government and academic institutions, adding that many times the area of appropriate governance at all levels has failed the nation.

He said the most competitive nations are those that have recognised and placed innovation and creativity as the lead element that drives society.

"The greatest of thinkers in history were those that drove the direction of their nations; the greatest of thinkers do things beyond the average persons," he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, Prof. Auwalu Yadudu, said the committee was inaugurated two months ago to draft an executive bill for the establishment of the research and development foundation.

Yadudu said the bill has the support and endorsement of the executive and will be forwarded to the Minister of Education for approval before submission to National Assembly.

"The bill seeks to establish a national research and development foundation to Institutionalise, mainstream and commercialize research and development, promote innovation and support enterprise development for job and wealth creation for a knowledge-driven economy for Nigeria. 

"Everything else that we do will remain in our laboratories, in our thesis, in our classrooms if it is not translated into some applications, some uses which will require the intervention and participation of the industry," he said.

According to him, the bill recommends a governance structure that is true to the specifications and ideas generated by the document supplied to them, adding that it envisages a management team that will comprise of the different elements that will be autonomous and drive the process once inaugurated.

He said when passed into law, the bill will give birth to a foundation that will build on and further support and complement efforts of the TETFund.

Yadudu noted that in drafting the bill, key legal officers from the Ministry of Justice were well represented and provided the most critically needed professional services.

According to him, thoughts were given to various sources of funding, that are varied and diverse but innovative, stressing that the foundation cannot just think of the few available, easy ways of generating funding for research.

Also speaking, TETFund's Director of Research, Dr Salisu Bakare, said the bill was the beginning of the realisation for the greatness of Nigeria.

Professor Auwalu Yadudu's National Research and Development Foundation (NRDF) executive bill draft committee submits its document to the Federal Government.

Professor Auwalu Yadudu says Draft bill on National R&D Foundation loaded with innovative ideas.

Presenting the executive draft bill to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, on Wednesday in Abuja, the chairman of the committee,   Professor Auwal Yadudu, said the proposed document contains massive innovative ideas that would propel the knowledge economy in Nigeria. 

The legal luminary, who commended the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Professor Suleiman Elias Bogoro, for putting in place the committee and for his vision for R&D, said the country stands to reap bountifully when the bill is passed into law. 

"This is a bill which seeks to establish a National Research and Development Foundation to institutionalise, mainstream and commercialise research and development; promote innovation and support enterprise development for job and wealth creation for knowledge driven economy. This is the key thing," Professor Yadudu said. 

While hailing  Bogoro as the Senior Advocate of Research (SAR) for his unwavering commitment to fully enthrone a culture of cutting-edge research that collaborate with industries, Yadudu said the draft bill identified viable source of funding for the proposed National R&D Foundation as well as a robust autonomous governing structure. 

Receiving the document on behalf of the education minister, Professor Bogoro said the draft executive bill when come into force would open a new chapter in the technological and industrial development of the country.

"A foundation has been laid for driving Nigeria's knowledge economy appropriately. When people talk of knowledge economy, I always say not the knowledge but research driven deeper knowledge, that is what makes the difference," he said 

While saying the foundation would go a long way to ensure Nigeria's future is driven by knowledge, Professor Bogoro thanked the committee for a job well done. 

" The Ministry of Education is very appreciative of the great job you people have done. It is on behalf of the minister I am receiving this document and I know it is a well packaged document," he said. 

It will be recalled that the education minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Sonny Echono, inaugurated the 11-man committee on 15 June, 2021.

The committee membership also included Prof C.K.C Dakas, Prof. Hadiza Galadanchi, Dr Segun Aina, Barr. Grace Ekanem, Pascal Eruagha, Emmanuel Akisa, Dr Mustapha Popoola, two representatives of the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, while Barr. Khalid Abdul  served as Secretary.

Nigeria's TETFund injects N2.5 trillion in varsities, others in 10 years...Targets N500 billion education tax collection

The Federal Government through Tertiary Education Trust Fund has injected more than N2.5 trillion in the development of infrastructure and staff development in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria in lthe last 10 years of establishment of the Fund. 

Chairman, Board of Trustees of (TETFund), Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, who made this known on Thursday, also disclosed that.the agency is targeting more than N500 billion education tax collection by 2023. 

He spoke at the 3rd edition of Tax Payers Forum with the theme: TETFUND Intervention: Catalyst for Transforming Tertiary Education in Nigeria" held in Lagos, where he also promised to ensure that intervention to the beneficiary institutions be increased by 50 per cent next year and 100 per cent in two years. 

The event which had the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Olufemi Hamzat, as guest of honour was attendded by captains of industries, academia and other  stakeholders. 

Lagos State, Governor in his speech delivered by his deputy, Hamzat, however, insisted that funding for the education sector must be prioritised, noting that TETFund was then established as a child of necessity to intervene in the ailing universities system and that universities in Nigeria would have been worse than the current situation without TETFund. 

He, therefore, appealed to the companies private operating in Nigeria to be consistent in their remittances, while also charging TETFund to endeavour to create Silicon Valley for Nigeria and focus on how to take research to the market. 

Ibrajim-Imam, disclosed that for this year alone disclosed TETFund budgeted the sum of N300 billion to over 226 higher institutions across the country in 2021.

He noted that the agency had budgeted N120 billion to education in 2020, adding that this was increased to N300 billion in 2021, while tasking the Federal Inland Revenue Service on increasing the education tax collection to N500 billion in the next two years. 

According to him, more than N30 billon was set aside for academic staff training in the various institutions across the country. 

Ibrahim-Imam, said in response to the challenges of acute shortage of hostels in Universities in the country, the Board of Trustee of TETfund has approved the construction of 160,000 additional bed spaces in the institutions across the country. 

Lagos State, Governor in his speech read by his deputy, Olufemi Hamzat, insisted that funding for the education sector must be prioritised, noting that TETFund was then established as a child of necessity to intervene in the ailing universities system and that universities in Nigeria would have been worse than the current situation without TETFund. 

He, therefore, appealed to the companies private operating in Nigeria to be consistent in their remittances, while also charging TETFund to endeavour to create Silicon Valley for Nigeria and focus on how to take research the market. 

Minister of Education of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Pro-chancellor of University of Benin, Dr Sonny Kuku, commended the stakeholders for their contribution while assuring them of the determination of the Federal Government to transform the entire landscape of public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. 

Executive Secretary of TETFund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro, in his welcome address, said the Tax Payers Forum served as the platform to honour and identity individuals and companies that have made tremendous contributions to education through the consistent payment of education tax and have invariably contributed to the development of education and by extension that of the entire nation. 

He explained that the 2  per cent education tax is remitted annually by companies through the FIRS to TETFund for allocation and onward disbursement to beneficiary institutions across the country. 

Bogoro noted that the education tax over the years has been channeled into different activities and areas in line with the mandate of the Fund as enshrined in the establishment Act. 

He said: "Infrastructure has been given special attention in this regard, because of its decay and collapse across public tertiary institutions in Nigeria at the onset. 

"A careful observation will reveal that the Fund has between January to December 2020 alone carried out

16,982 various infrastructure projects across beneficiary institutions.

"Considering the projects carried out since inception, based on annual

allocation to institutions over the years 2011 to 2021, it is estimated that a total of over 152,838 various infrastructure projects have been carried out across various public tertiary institutions.

"These projects include construction of lecture theatres, classrooms, hostels, offices, laboratories, road networks and fencing of institutions in different parts of the country. Tertiary institutions

across the country are dotted with TETFund projects which bear the insignia of the Fund distinctly inscribed on each project.

"Additionally, we have sponsored over 10,632 lecturers in the local Ph.D. program, over 9,072 lecturers in the local master's degree programme

across the country between 2011 and year 2020.

"The Fund has also sponsored well over 4,485 lecturers to overseas institutions for Ph.D. programs and over 3,192 Master's degree candidates also overseas, across tertiary institutions within the same period.

"The Fund has further supported 71,263 Lecturers in Federal and State Colleges of Education under its teacher supervision program, bringing to a total 98,644 the number of academic staff across public tertiary institutions that have benefited from the academic staff training and development programme of the Fund," he said. 

End