Enhancing Higher Learning And The TETFUND Model.

By Mary Odoma

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) emergence in Nigeria’s educational landscape has made great contributions towards etching reverence on the quality of higher education.

TETFUND is an intervention agency set to provide supplementary support to all level of public tertiary institutions with the main objective of using funding alongside project management for the rehabilitation, restoration and consolidation of tertiary education in Nigeria.

With its strategic initiatives and investments, TETFund has been instrumental in addressing crucial challenges, promoting research, and driving positive change across Nigerian universities and institutions.

In an era when tertiary education is esteemed as the bedrock upon which the most robust pillar of development rests in Nigeria, it is anticipated that the developmental trajectory of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) as the government agency entrusted with the pivotal responsibility of fostering infrastructural progress in public higher education institutions, receives ample and noteworthy consideration.

Concurring with this perspective that the caliber of higher education constitutes one of the crucial pillars upon which Nigeria’s development is founded, the occurrences at the funding agency should unquestionably pique the utmost public interest.

The establishment of the fund came about as a reaction to the escalating dilapidation of infrastructure, insufficiency in financial resources, and restricted endeavors in research and development within the realm of higher education.

Acknowledging the pivotal significance of education in the advancement of the nation, the Nigerian government, under the leadership of former President Goodluck Jonathan, instituted the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) with the primary objective of guaranteeing continuous financial support and fostering a culture of excellence in tertiary institutions.

Public tertiary institutions in Nigeria have long been plagued by inadequate funding, necessitating the establishment of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). Consequently, the responsibility of steering the affairs of TETFUND was entrusted to Sonny, a seasoned civil servant who ascended to the zenith of his career with a formidable background in public procurement.

Arch Echono’s tenure as the Executive Secretary has been characterized by a revival of confidence among Nigerians in the funding agency, owing to his innovative and cutting-edge strategies. His wealth of experience in infrastructural development, adept management of public procurement, and fervent pursuit of information technology has instilled a profound sense of accountability in the dispensation of funds, inspiring a renewed sense of trust in the agency’s operations.

TETFund is an essential part of Nigeria’s education sector, whose success is highly dependent on a robust, transparent and accountable system that ensures resources are appropriately allocated towards achieving public service delivery in the education sector.

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Arch. Sonny Echono has been a man that is always committed to the growth of Nigeria tertiary institutions in the aspect of financial sustainability. Echono believed that there is a need to rethink the entire idea of education funding in Nigeria.

According to him, government should not only grant universities autonomy, it should also take another look at its own policy regarding the funding of university education in the country.

Arc Echono, a proficient technocrat and bureaucrat, having served as a former permanent secretary in the Ministries of Agriculture and Education before gracefully retiring from his official duties.

As a visionary reformist, his appointment to lead TETFUND marked a new phase of not only advancing and advocating the agency’s policy objectives but also imbuing it with the virtues of transparency and accountability, elevating its overall effectiveness.

Having garnered extensive experience in both civil service and administrative roles, coupled with his wide exposure, Arc Echono’s penchant for making astute high-level decisions and imparting profound leadership wisdom is indisputably evident.

One of the policies of the government which can be said to have curtailed the scope of operation of the agency is in the area of limiting their role to that of intervening in only the nation’s public tertiary institutions and not the private. Government directives in some cases have the capacity to expand or minimize the function of various agencies in the country.

The case is not different for the TETFund. Funds generated by the agency are subject to some prescribed governmental policies. As such, the agency lacks the freedom to express their will on how their activities should be coordinated. This has in some way being a hindrance to the function of the agency.

Despite obvious limitations, in recent times, the activities of the agency have continued to elicit commendation from critical stakeholders in light of the visible improvements in the fulfilment of the operational mandate of the agency. In some quarters, this has been ascribed to the exploits of its Executive Secretary, Arc. Sunny Echono.

Shortly after assuming control of TETFund, Echono endeavored to amalgamate and enhance the reforms instigated by his forerunners. Presently, he is actively tackling the intricacies entailed in forging a robust symbiosis between academia and various other sectors.

The Echono-led governance has engendered an inexhaustible reservoir of intellectual workforce imperative for the advancement of the nation through astute innovations and meticulously designed programs.

To his accolades, TETFund facilitated prominent local and international collaborations while instigating endeavors and initiatives conducive to attaining academic eminence in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

Furthermore, in the fight for Equity & Justice, Echono gave his voice, and also made sure that Tertiary Institutions get their allocation amidst the ASUU strike. The disbursements of the direct intervention funds approved by the presidency to public Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the country, which runs into several billions of naira.

According to Echono, the desire to develop human capital to service the various sectors of the Nigerian economy primarily informed the government’s investment in the education sector.

He said the government is not unmindful of the deficit and decay in the tertiary sub-sector, noting that it also informed the establishment of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund; which was initially referred to as Education Tax Fund in 1993 and later metamorphosed into Tertiary Education Trust Fund in 2011.

He also said the agency has spent over N27.6 billion on ICT support intervention programmes in tertiary institutions in the country in the last seven years. This is a man that never fails to support the vision of the future, and helping the youth build towards it through education. The belief that ICT is the future.

TETFUND has been engaged in many projects all around the tertiary institutions in Nigeria, with such focus on;

DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Funds are provided through regular and special intervention for upgrade in teaching and learning environment through the development and rehabilitation of building, Lecture Theatres, Laboratories, Classrooms, Libraries and Workshops.

ICT FACILITIES
TETFund sponsored ICT equipment installation and trainings to boost Electronic Teaching and Learning platform and hopefully facilitate our distance learning programme in different tertiary institutions of learning.

More funds were further used for improving the terrible conditions of lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories, and libraries which have been in very poor conditions, being under-lit and lacking proper ventilation, under-furnished and utilised beyond their original carrying capacities.

TETfund’s endeavors in the provision of physical infrastructure, equipment, and various forms of academic intervention. Ever since its inception, have not merely been geared towards supporting a wide array of tertiary institutions, but also aimed at sponsoring high-caliber projects that can yield profound impacts on the educational landscape.

This is evident in the manner in which the fund has collaborated with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to furnish all public institutions, commencing with Bayero University Kano and Kwara State University, with autonomous power supply through state-of-the-art solar installations.

Simultaneously, the TETFund has allocated a substantial sum of N300 billion to construct hostel facilities, encompassing the provision of 2000 bed spaces and cutting-edge ICT centers in the 226 educational establishments scattered across the nation.

Echono paramount hallmark lies in the unwavering commitment to transparency and accountability, which he deftly harnessed to confront various challenges plaguing the agency’s operations.

He firmly believes that by fostering greater accountability, the deep-rooted corruption and inefficiency that have eroded the agency’s functionality will be unequivocally thwarted. This, in turn, will pave the way for more effective allocation of funds towards initiatives and programs that yield substantial and conspicuous outcomes.

Arch Echono has indelibly ingrained transparency and accountability into the very fabric of TETFund’s operations. Subtly yet decisively, he instigated practical reforms designed to promote prudent expenditure, curtail financial mismanagement and wastage, and terminate programs or projects that failed to yield meaningful contributions to the agency or tertiary institutions nationwide.

However, it is obvious that every good work will attract negative and spurious comments. Detractors within and outside the agency, such as; embezzlers, nepotists, and fraudsters have never rested, but investing their futile efforts into bringing the shinning light down.

Different allegations of contract and procurement fraud sprung up at interval in a bid taint Arch Echono unblemish personality, fortunately, they were outrightly dismissed in their numbers due to lack of evidence. More jabs from different media trials have been thrown at Arch Echono, but he has remained unperturbed, but focused on his leadership mandates.

Arc. Echono has exhibited remarkable courage thus far, fearlessly addressing challenges and not hesitating to take assertive actions in his unwavering pursuit of purposeful leadership.

As an adept technocrat, Arc Echono has imbued his role with a multifarious wealth of experience encompassing diverse domains such as infrastructure development, business administration, procurement management, ICT, and the education sector.

Mr. Sonny Echono has significantly contributed to the agency’s endeavors by directing its focus towards critical areas of intervention. These encompass sponsoring lecturers for postgraduate studies, financing the construction and refurbishment of educational facilities, fostering a creative and innovative approach to learning, supporting the production of higher education books, and funding libraries while ensuring the provision of essential learning equipment.

TETFUND is truly fortunate to have the privilege of such a remarkable and extraordinary individual as Arch Echono, who dedicates himself wholeheartedly to the advancement of the agency and the nation at large.

Odoma is a public affairs analyst based in Abuja.