Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities, COPSUN, have raised objections against the decision made by the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, to suspend the implementation of the 2024 TETFund intervention in state-owned universities.
In a press release signed by the Secretary of the committee, Suleiman Abubakar Mahdi, on behalf of the chairman, it was emphasized that the directive was unprecedented.
Mahdi highlighted that the House Committee’s decision infringes upon the doctrine of the separation of powers, which could potentially result in conflict among the different tiers and branches of government.
“It is important to note that the Governing Councils of the various state-owned universities are legally empowered to award or approve the award of contracts after following due procurement processes, and are exercising this executive prerogative,” Mahdi stated.
“The House Committee should 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,” he added. “Therefore, the directive, even if valid, should not apply to state-owned universities.”
“Furthermore, time is of the essence in executing these contracts, and with the upward trend in the dollar exchange rate resulting in inflation, this could ultimately increase costs,” the statement read.
The statement also urged the Committee to reconsider the directive and allow for further consultations.
NewsNow reports that the National Assembly recently put a stop to the N683 billion TETFund intervention projects scheduled for 2024 and requested all universities to submit all relevant documents to the committee.