The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has strongly opposed the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, calling for its outright rejection due to its potential to undermine the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and further destabilize Nigeria’s higher education system.
The union has criticized the proposed changes, especially the plan to abolish the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), warning that it could gravely affect public universities.
In a briefing on Thursday in Makurdi, Raphael Amokaha, the Zonal Coordinator for ASUU-Nsukka Zone, along with other members of the Zonal leadership, highlighted critical issues with the bill.
Recalling the historical struggle for the establishment of TETFund, Amokaha emphasized that the union is not only passionate about the agency but also deeply concerned about its impact.
The union also criticized the proposed shift of funding from TETFund to the newly established National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), a student loan scheme, claiming that the student loan is clearly designed in such a manner that less than half of Nigerian students will benefit from the scheme.
ASUU also voiced that the sustainability of NELFUND has not been tested in any way, whereas any lecture rooms, laboratories, or clinics erected by TETFund will serve all the students.
