Dr. Abdullahi Baffa-led administration in TETFund has been sensitising institutions management on how best to access intervention funds. MARTIN PAUL writes on the journey so far.
Facts and figures are very glaring that the hiccups associated with non-access to intervention fund of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) are no longer an issue.
Since the appointment of Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa as the Executive Secretary of the Fund, there have been tremendous changes in the operation and management of the intervention agency.
Access Clinic
Suffice to say that Baffa, with his management team, has brought innovations into the system, particularly the way and manner institutions were made to access their funds at ease.
Having successfully conducted the “Access Clinic”, where individual institutions tabled their different complaints and hindrances militating against their successful access to intervention funds, Bafa has gone another mile to sensitise them of the importance, needs and avenues that could less cumbersome.
Speaking, recently, when he took the sensitisation visit to National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Baffa said the mandate of the Fund as contained in the enabling Act is to administer and disburse education tax the federal and state tertiary institutions.
This fund, specifically, is for “essential physical infrastructure for teaching and learning’ institutional materials and equipment; research and publication; academic staff training and development and any other need, which in the opinion of the board of Trustees (BoT) is critical and essential for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standard in higher education”.
How funds are disbursed
The sharing formula, according to Baffa, is centred on a 2:1:1 ration for the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education owned by the federal government.
For instance, in the 2016 intervention, universities received N1.009 billion, polytechnics got N691.63 million, whereas colleges of education were given N 679million.
Despite this provision, institutions were still lacking in accessing the fund, at least, at their disposal, hence the Funds viewed it expedients to bring stakeholders to the round table to fashion out strategies that would no longer be cumbersome to them.
Thus, in the last few months, no fewer than 26 federal and state tertiary institutions in the North-West geopolitical zone of the country, benefitted from the ongoing sensitization and awareness exercise by the TETFund.
Although the exercise is for all public federal and state tertiary institutions, the 26 institutions were drawn from only the North-west, whereas some institutions have already be visited by the team in the South-South and, South-west and more are still to come.
Effects of sensitisation
The sensitisation visits, according to Baffa, is to further ensure that all processes for the agency’s interventions are made open and known to all stakeholders.
Baffa, who personally led his team to the North-West states, being the fourth geo-political zone to be visited, told the audience at the campuses that the seminar became necessary to get rid of all the encumbrances encountered in accessing intervention allocations from TETFund.
Noting that some of the encumbrances were as a result of lack of information, distorted or outright wrong information and unnecessary ambiguity created by some Desk Officers and staff of beneficiary institutions, Baffa said the seminar will now make all processes open to all stakeholders in the various academic communities.
The TETFund boss, who insisted that his management is committed to ensuring beneficiaries adhere strictly to the established guidelines and procedures for smooth running of the Fund’s operations necessary for maximum impact, explained that the seminar was not only to clear grey areas through a detailed presentation of all the requirements for each of the Intervention Lines but also to enhance a more cordial and effective collaboration between the beneficiaries and management of the Fund.
During the sensitisation workshops, TETFund teams were drawn from the relevant departments for the various intervention lines as well as from the Internal Audit Unit of the Fund made presentations, showing the audience how to comply with the guidelines of all TETFund interventions.
The papers presented at each of the venue of the seminar were from the Project Monitoring Department, Department of Monitoring and Evaluation, Department of Academic Staff Training and Development (AST&D), Department of Education Support Services and Internal Audit Unit (IAU).
Frequently asked questions
In view of this, several questions, reactions and observations arose from the academic and non academic staff as well as union members who were eager to get answers and clarifications on issues affecting them individually and collectively as institutions.
From the foregoing, it was observed that many of the staff of the institution have very little knowledge of the available opportunities for them, especially with regards to accessing the Academic Staff Training and Development Intervention line, Education Support Services (ESS) as well as Institutional Based Research (IBR).
The executive secretary readily provided detailed answers to each of the questions and observations raised, thereby leaving everyone better informed and educated about the processes involved in accessing allocated funds.
Apparently satisfied by the outcome of the seminar, some of the participants called for more of seminars, adding that TETFund should continue to conduct the exercise annually so that staff of beneficiary institutions would be kept abreast of any development or updates in the guidelines.
Where the seminars took place
Speaking during the seminar at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Prof. Kabir Bala, who represented the vice chancellor, thanked TETFund management for what he described as “timely seminar in the school”, saying it would save the management of the university a lot of stress in bringing up proposals for infrastructural projects as well as guiding would-be TETFund scholars to be able to meet up with the necessary requirements.
Kabir pointed out that he was the immediate past TETFund desk officer and is well aware of the processes and has contributed immensely in assisting staff to access TETFund scholarships, debunking earlier observation raised about the staff not being aware of an existing desk officer in the institution.
He assured that henceforth, with the barrage of information provided, the Institution Management would leave no stone unturned by ensuring that strategic plans are well outlined in readiness to access allocations timely.
In Kadun state, the institutions where the seminar held were, Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Kaduna State Polytechnic, Kaduna, Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zaria.
For Katsina state, the TETFund team held the seminar at the Federal University, Dutsinma, Isa Kaita College of Education, Dutsinma, Umaru Musa Yaradua University, Katsina, Federal College of Education, Katsina, and Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina.
Also for Kano state, the institutions that benefitted from the seminar were The Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Bayero University (BUK), Kano State University of Science & Tech (KUST), Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi, Kano, Federal College of Education and Sa’ adatu Rimi College Of Education, Kumbotso, Kano.
TETFund visited to Jigawa State College of Education, Gumel, Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa, Jigawa State Polytechnic, Dutse, and Federal University, Dutse, was remarkable.
It was similar story for Kebbi State where the TETFund team visited Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Federal Polytechnic Birnin Kebbi, College Of Education Audu Argungun, and Kebbi State Science & Technology, Aleiru, for the Sensitisation and Awareness Exercise.
It is pertinent to state that the exercise which has already taken place in the North-Central, South-West, South-South geo-political zones before now is in continuation of the promise by the Dr. Baffa to ensure that beneficiary institutions take control of the interventions of TETFund through giving them first-hand information and making everything transparent.
Baffa’s assurances
It would be recalled that TETFund under Baffa had carried out Access Clinic and Budget Defence Exercise earlier in the year, all aimed at ensuring speedy and maximum draw down on all outstanding allocation from TETFund to its beneficiary institutions.
While the Access Clinic helped clear up misunderstanding and encumbrances against speedy draw down of monies allocated to institutions for various projects, the Budget Defence Exercise ensured that institutions sit down with management of TETFund and scrutinise their various submissions for intended projects so as to reduce delay in getting approvals for the commencement of projects.
The sensitisation and awareness exercise will be concluded with visits to the North-East and South-East geo-political zones of the country within the month of October, 2017.
