Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has pledged to take all necessary measures to claim accumulated and unclaimed funds allocated to the state by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
Governor Otti made this promise when he received a delegation from the House of Representatives Committee on TETFUND and Other Services, led by its Chairman, Hon. Princess Miriam Odinakachi Onuoha, at the Government House in Umuahia.
The Governor highlighted the significant work needed to bring the state’s education sector up to an acceptable standard, emphasizing that now is the best time to seek TETFUND interventions.
He lamented the dilapidation of public schools in the state and the poor condition of their infrastructure but assured that immediate steps would be taken to address the situation, stressing that merely complaining about a problem does not provide a solution.
Governor Otti said, “There is no way we can make progress without these funds. So, whatever it takes, I’m going to do it. I will outsource my Commissioner for Tertiary Education to you so that we can get the unclaimed funds and use them. If you visit our schools and see the level of dilapidation, you will understand how much we need these funds. In fact, sometimes you will wonder how people actually manage to graduate from these schools.”
He added, “One thing that we know is that the problem doesn’t get solved by bemoaning the problem. We don’t believe in that. We take actions; we believe that actions solve problems.”
“Thank you for calling our attention to this. For us, it is a wake-up call for a state that has declared a state of emergency in education, a state that has dedicated 20% of her budget allocation to education and has recently declared free and compulsory education from primary to junior secondary school,” the Governor declared.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on TETFUND and other services, Hon. Princess Miriam Odinakachi Onuoha, explained that their visit was part of the committee’s oversight function. They had discovered that Abia is among the states with accumulated unclaimed TETFUND funds and sought to identify the causes and offer solutions.
Princess Onuoha revealed that the House had created a separate Standing Committee on TETFUND to ensure better accountability and judicious utilization of the funds allocated to TETFUND. She also noted that the committee had relaxed some of the stringent conditions causing delays, allowing them to engage with beneficiaries and stakeholders to clear the backlogs.
She stated, “Previously, the House ran a committee on tertiary institutions and TETFUND, but upon realizing the need for better oversight to ensure accountability and judicious use of the funds, the leadership decided to create this special committee dedicated to TETFUND issues, including education tax collection, remittances, and utilization.”
The committee, she continued, had visited TETFUND in May 2024 and discovered that over 500 billion Naira in funds had been allocated but remained unutilized by beneficiary tertiary institutions. Further investigation revealed several reasons for the delay, leading the committee to establish a technical team to visit affected states and institutions to resolve the issue.
Princess Onuoha assured that the committee would collaborate with the Abia State government and its tertiary institutions to ensure the state receives its rightful share of TETFUND support.
She pledged, “Your Excellency, we want to assure you of our commitment and resolve, as a standing committee, to work with your government and tertiary institutions in Abia State to ensure they receive their rightful share of the TETFUND intervention.
“As your sister and one of your close supporters, I am impressed by how you have set Abia on the path of growth and development in such a short time. This committee will work with you and your heads of institutions to ensure that the essence and intent of the tertiary intervention is fully realized under your leadership as Governor of this state.” she stated.
The visitors later entered into a technical session with the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Uche Eme Uche, S.A on Education, Kenechukwu Nwosu and the Heads of Tertiary institutions in the State including ABSU VC, Rector, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic Aba and Provost, College of Education Technical Arochukwu, among others.
