N683 bn contracts : COPSUN kicks against letter from Reps Committee on TETFUND

• “It should be noted that the Governing Councils of the various state-owned universities are by Law empowered to award or approve the award of contracts after due procurement processes and are doing so in exercise of the executive prerogative.”

The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) has kicked against a letter from the House of Representatives Committee on TETFUND directing all Nigerian-owned universities to stay action on the implementation of the 2024 TETFUND intervention.

Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono,
recently announced that it was set to disburse N683 billion to Nigerian tertiary institutions following the approval granted by President Bola Tinubu.

The amount is twice the N320 billion disbursed to the institutions by the agency in 2023.

The lawmakers immediately sent their letter as soon as the announcement was made, but
an online newspaper which exclusively reported the directive earlier in the week said it was one of the usual ploys by Nigerian lawmakers to extort the universities and impose their cronies on them as contractors.

The House Committee’s letter, signed by the Chairman, Miriam Onuoha, required all benefitting institutions of learning to submit to it drawings, designs and specifications, procurement, etc of the contracts they wished to award under the TETFUND intervention scheme.

But on Wednesday, COPSUN in a reaction by its Secretary,Suleiman Abubakar Mahdi, said the directive was wrong and unprecedented.

Mahdi who wrote on behalf of the Chairman of COPSUN said “This committee is gravely concerned about this unprecedented directive given at a time when the universities are in various stages of procurement and the likely effect it wil have on their budgetary implementation processes.

“It should be noted that the Governing Councils of the various state-owned universities are by Law empowered to award or approve the award of contracts after due procurement processes and are doing so in exercise of the executive prerogative.

“With the greatest respect to the House Committee, we feel that their action is not only an encroachment on the autonomy of the universities but an infringement on the doctrine of the separation of powers which has the potential for conflict among the tiers and branches of government.

“The House Committee may wish to be respectfully reminded that the funds disbursed by TETFUND belong to the states and are subject to appropriation and exclusive oversight by the various states’ Houses of Assembly. Therefore, the directive even if valid, should not apply to the state-owned universities.

“Furthermore, time is of the essence in executing these contracts, and with the upward trend ni the dollar exchange rate with the resultant inflation, this could ultimately increase costs.

“While expressing its highest regards to the esteemed members of the House of Representatives and having no doubt that their actions are well-intentioned, this Committee is humbly calling on the House of Representatives on TETFUND to
rescind this directive and alow for further consultations, if need be.”

The Executive Secretary of the Fund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this during a strategic planning meeting with heads of beneficiary institutions in Abuja on Friday, according to a copy of his speech obtained by this newspaper.

Mr Echono stated that 90.75 per cent of the sum is budgeted for direct disbursement and 8.94 per cent for some designated special projects while a stabilisation of 2.27 per cent is allowed to enable the Fund to respond to emerging issues.

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