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N2.5tn Injected In Varsities, Others In 10 Years, FG Claims
The Federal Government has injected over N2.5trillion in the development of infrastructure and staff development in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria in the last 10 years of establishment of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of Trustees of TETFund, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, made this known, yesterday at the 3rd edition of Tax Payers Forum with the theme: “TETFUND Intervention: Catalyst for transforming tertiary education in Nigeria.”
The details of the event which held in Lagos, was sent to Journalists in Abuja.
While promising to ensure that intervention to the beneficiary institutions be increased by 50 per cent next year and 100 per cent in two years, Ibrahim-Imam also said that the agency was targeting more than N500billion education tax collection by 2023.
The event in which the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was represented by his Deputy, Olufemi Hamzat, as guest of honour was attended by captains of industries, academia and other stakeholders.
The governor insisted that funding for the education sector must be prioritised, adding 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 private companies 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.
Ibrahim-Imam said that for 2021 alone, TETFund budgeted the sum of N300billion to over 226 higher institutions across the country in 2021.
According to him, the agency had budgeted N120billion to education in 2020 but was increased to N300billion in 2021.
He tasked the Federal Inland Revenue Service on increasing the education tax collection to N500billion in the next two years.
Ibrahim-Imam said more than N30billion was set aside for academic staff training in the various institutions across the country.
He said in response to the challenges of acute shortage of hostels in Universities in the country, that the BoT of TETfund has approved the construction of 160,000 additional bed spaces in the institutions across the country.
The Minister of Education of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, 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.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof. 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 two 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 said that the education tax over the years has been channelled 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 programme, 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.”
Spokesman to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Segun Sowunmi, has advised his principal, Atiku, to learn from President Bola Tinubu on how to form a coalition.
The Tide reports that in a bid to wrest power from President Tinubu in 2027, Atiku has been leading the movement by opposition politicians to form a coalition of political parties ahead of the next general election.
Last month, opposition politicians set up a team comprising former Minister of Transpiration, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, to decide whether to float a new party or fuse into an existing platform.
While the main opposition party, PDP, struggles with a perennial leadership crisis, the former Vice President is bent on establishing another political force to take power from the ruling party in 2027.
But Sowunmi, who has been Atiku’s ally for many years, disagrees with his move, saying instead of forming a coalition with another political platform, he should coalesce opposition politicians into the PDP.
Speaking during an interview on TVC on Tuesday, Sowunmi, who was Atiku’s campaign spokesperson in the last election, asked his principal to learn from President Tinubu on how to form a coalition.
Sowunmi believes Atiku, having benefitted from the PDP as a former Vice President and getting the party’s presidential ticket twice, should not seek to form a coalition that will not have the PDP as its base.
He said, “I’ve always said to people, people love with their hearts. I love atiku with my bones. But I can’t help him against himself. You can’t run vice presidency on PDP two times with Obasanjo, get presidential candidate on that same party two times. I don’t agree with him that the next best thing is to be shopping for…(a platform) If you want a coalition, why are you not coalescing them into your party?” he asked.
The former PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State advised the ex-VP to learn from Tinubu on how to build a coalition without dumping his political party.
“Look at your rival, your friend. You guys started together. At best, even if you want to say he’s building a coalition is he not coalescing opponents into his place”? Sowunmi asked again.
The PDP chieftain, who recently showered praises on Tinubu after he visited him, said the President has an “uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special” regardless of political affiliations.
His words: “That guy (Tinubu) is something oh, he has this uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special. It doesn’t matter whether you are a former foe or a president’s friend, every moment you share with him, I don’t know how he does it, though you’re going to leave the place feeling that you matter, feeling that he gets it, feeling that what you guys are talking about is important. And there’s something about him, when he gives you his word, he will say something like ‘ko le ye’, meaning that to the best of human ability, it will stand.”
Meanwhile, there have been conversations about Sowunmi’s political stance as many questioned his relationship with Atiku, with whom he shares a longstanding political relationship.
Asked about his relationship with Atiku following his meeting with Tinubu, Sowunmi said he doesn’t know if the former Vice President is upset.
“I don’t know whether Atiku is upset or not upset, but I know a lot of our followers are talking a lot of nonsense, and I’m wondering how I became attached to Atiku when I’ve been in PDP since 1999 never leaving,” he responded.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to fix inconsistencies in tax services across its over 300 offices nationwide.
The move aims to make tax processes clearer, more transparent, and easier for Nigerians.
In a statement, Special Adviser on Communications and Advocacy to the FIRS Executive Chairman, Mr. Collins Omokaro, said the updated SOP is a key part of the agency’s plan to improve taxpayer experience.
He explained that, in the past, different FIRS offices used different methods, which often confused taxpayers.
“This is about people, experience, and impact. It’s a step towards a tax system that supports voluntary compliance and national development,” Omokaro said.
The new SOP provides a single guide for key processes like registration, payment, audit, and enforcement. This will ensure all FIRS offices follow the same steps, making the system fairer and more predictable.
FIRS Executive Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, described the SOP as more than just a set of rules.
“This SOP is not just a technical document; it is a declaration of who we are becoming as a service. It reflects our commitment to transparency and service to the Nigerian people,” he said.
The SOP also supports FIRS’s digital transformation, combining human and technological systems to deliver faster and more reliable services. It will also improve internal efficiency by providing clear guidance and better training for staff.
“With this rollout, every FIRS staff member has a clear mandate: study it, apply it, and embody it. That’s how we’ll earn the trust of Nigerians,” Omokaro added.
The reform is part of FIRS’s efforts to become a more service-driven organisation, focused on clarity, consistency, and national growth. The agency hopes the new SOP will make tax services better for Nigerians and increase public trust in the system.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, says the Federal Government is committed to building a world-class public service in Nigeria.
Walson-Jack made this known in Abuja, on Wednesday, at a World Press Conference ahead of the International Civil Service Conference and the African Public Service Week scheduled for June 25 to 26 in Abuja.
She said a recent study tour to Singapore was part of preparatory activities aimed at positioning Nigeria’s civil service for excellence and attracting global participation in the upcoming events.
“The study tour to Singapore was the first major activity we undertook under the collaboration between the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Heads of Service of the 36 states and the FCT,” she said.
According to her, the visit, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), involved 20 State Heads of Service and was designed to benchmark best global practices and enhance Nigeria’s public service delivery.
“The idea was born out of our ongoing collaboration, where we share ideas and knowledge across federal and state levels.
“Singapore was chosen because it is globally recognised for excellence in public service,” she explained.
Walson-Jack noted that the second phase of the tour will involve the remaining 17 heads of service later this year.
She said the tour provided participants with the opportunity to engage with both public and private sector institutions in Singapore, compare administrative practices, and gain insights into global standards.
“It was an eye-opener and a capacity-building opportunity.
“Since our return, several state civil services have begun implementing reforms in collaboration with the federal service, particularly in areas such as capability development and digital transformation,” she added.
Walson-Jack further disclosed that Nigeria would host a reciprocal study tour during the upcoming African Public Service Week, where foreign delegates will engage with various federal institutions.
“They will see firsthand our digitalisation efforts, performance management systems, and other reform initiatives aimed at transforming our civil service.
“We hope the experience will inspire similar actions in their home countries,” she said.