Govts To Access ETF Funds

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Abuja challenged state governments to access and make use of funds provided by the Education Trust Fund (ETF) for the education sector.

Mr Michael Olukayo, national president of the union told newsmen that states were not showing interest in accessing the funds.

He said that the states were not accessing the funds because they needed to pay a certain percentage of whatever project they were spending ETF’s money on.

“Various state governments should make use of this opportunity that ETF is providing.

“It is like assisting them. Where they would have spent N100, somebody is giving you 60; just make available 40. I think it is not too much.

“Every state government in this country should not play politics with their education. They should make use of the rare opportunity, at least to help them develop education; develop the quality of children that will be produced from their school setting.

He said that the union usually visited the Universal Basic Education (UBE) board to establish how many states were showing interests in ETF funds.

He added that immediately the union got information that a state had taken ETF fund, it offered advice on best ways of achieving the desired result with the money taken.

Olukayo likened the refusal by some states to take ETF fund to “denying the children of the poor in those states education. So what we do is to work hand-in- hand with UBEB and the state government that is failing in its responsibility and this has been paying off’’ he added.

Olukayo noted that ETF money was not easy to misapply because the Fund is thorough in monitoring projects it funds.