Introduction

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria that is saddled with the responsibility of interventions in Federal Tertiary Institutions. It is the reform version of the Education Trust Fund (ETF). Its major responsibility is to oversee projects and manpower development as an intervention to support budgetary allocation for the education sector. However, because of the failure of the education funding platform which is appropriation, TETFUND has become the major projects and manpower development scheme for the tertiary education institutions in Nigeria.

The government of Nigeria in 2011 established TETFUND as an intervention under the TETFUND ACT-Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act 2011 to manage, disburse and monitor the education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Therefore, TETFUND has three major roles: to manage, disburse and monitor the education tax for accessibility, implementation and accountability. It is on this onerous responsibility that TETFUND became a major player in the research and development plans of the Nigerian Public Tertiary Institutions.

The focus of the agency is to be a world-class intervention agency in Nigeria tertiary education and to continuously improve the Education Tax Revenue by ensuring that the tax is collected and made available for TETFUND intervention programmes. The fact is that, notwithstanding the challenges facing the agency, in many tertiary institutions where the interventions funds are well channeled and spent, the evidences abound. Every single tertiary institution has their unique demand for intervention. Thus, the performance of the TETFUND is measured specifically based on institutional unique nature of their project needs.

TETFUND is the saviour of the tertiary institutions in Nigerians. Billions of Naira have been spent as allocations to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for infrastructural and human capacity building projects. Based on available data, the percentage allocations of TETFUND to tertiary institutions in Nigeria is very evident. From 2011 – 2019 huge sum has been allocated to take care of intervention projects and programmes in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country. The allocation continues to increase with time, and will obviously translate to an improvement in projects, scholarships, research funds and other Tetfund related intervention areas. The story of TETFUND intervention is an unending story among the tertiary institutions in Nigeria. It is actually the cash-cow of the infrastructural, scholarship and research development in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Federal College of Education (Technical) Omoku Rivers State, (FCE(T), Omoku is not an exception in the success story of TETFUND interventions in Nigerian tertiary institutions. But for the TETFUND interventions, there would have been little or nothing to show for in the infrastructural and manpower development of the college. The intervention projects of the agency brought relieve and has made teaching and learning possible in the college.

In terms of physical structure interventions, the agency has made a milestone. There is no school of the college that has not benefitted from the physical infrastructural development of Tetfund from 2009 till date. In fact, the expansion of the college from campus I to campus 2 in Obrikom was made possible by Tefund interventions. All the buildings in the School of Technical Education were constructed and equally equipped by Tetfund. The interventions included the construction and equipment of Electrical/Electronics laboratory building, Metal-Work, Automobile and Wood-Work workshops; Construction and equipment of five hundred (500) capacity lecture theatre and another three-in-one fully furnished lecture halls. In addition to the laboratories are offices for technicians and laboratory attendants. These structures have enhanced the processes of teaching and learning, especially practical teachings which are basic curriculum requirements for the college.

At the school of Secondary Education (Sciences), the college was able to construct three lecture halls and laboratories which were fully equipped through the intervention funds. In School of Business Education TETFUND constructed, completed and equipped two (2) 500- capacity lecture halls, two storey buildings for Entrepreneurship Centre and one storey building for offices using 2014 special intervention funds. In school of Vocational Education, the agency recorded the construction of Home Economics Laboratory with full furnishing, construction of 200- capacity lecture theatre for Home Economics studies; construction of Administrative block for lecturers of Home Economics, construction and equipment of Agric laboratory; supply of Agric equipment for practicals and demonstration studies; construction of one lecture hall with staff offices.

At the School of Education, through the intervention fund of the agency, the college was able to construct, complete and equip an administrative block for teaching and non-teaching staff offices, a storey building for Centre of Educational Technology and another one storey building for classroom and lecturers offices.

Following the need and urgency of information technology and communication (ICT), the agency did not relent in the provision of necessary facilities to enhance the flow of information in the college. The following facilities were procured: construction, completion and equipment of a storey building for management information system (MIS) office; construction, completion and furnishing of an ultra-modern 500- capacity lecture theatre in campus 1; construction of ICT Hall and 2- storey buildings in campus 1 and 2 for lecturer’s offices (on-going).

Libraries are very important units of any educational institution. TETFUND understanding the value of libraries to schools and students given special intervention attention to equipping of school libraries. TETFund through interventions made the following achievements in the library unit of the college: procurement of library textbooks and journals; procurement, equipment and maintaining of E-library of the college as well as procurement of library furniture.

TETFUND takes joy in handling institutional interventions. Thus, their focus span beyond physical infrastructures. They made in-road constructions into other areas of necessities that are of benefits to the college. Also, the college was able to procure printing machines for the College Printing Press: Radio equipment for the college Radio Station-Flame FM; five (5) sixty-(60) seaters luxury buses for students’ transportation operation from campus one to campus two and Hilux Pick-up van for project inspections and monitoring.

One important area of every institution is the health of the staff. Even the federal government takes very significant notice of the importance of worker’s health thereby the promotion of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) programme. TETFUND has seen the importance of college worker’s health and the nature of the current college Sick-Bay, constructed and completed an ultra-modern Sick-Bay for the College at campus 2. While it is the focus of TETFund to provide intervention in physical infrastructure of higher institutions in Nigeria, it is even more important to the agency that the human capacity of staff (teaching/non-teaching) be enhanced. In this regards, the college through TETFund training intervention have over one hundred and eighty-two (182) beneficiaries in academic scholarship for Masters and Doctorate degrees (local and foreign). Also, over three hundred and twenty (320) beneficiaries of conference/workshops (local and foreign). Also, special intervention was made in terms of Manuscripts/Book development whereby there are thirteen (13) beneficiaries and twenty-six (26) beneficiaries of research and development projects. The reality is that the benefits of TETFUND interventions are overwhelming and indeed numerous. The agency has done a lot in FCE(T), Omoku.

In spite of these laudable achievements made possible by TETFund intervention schemes, it is worth noting that there are some challenges which hamper full compliance and accessibility of TETFund by the college. Some of these include change in policy at short notice, which make it difficult to meet up packaging of documents in real time, lack of trained personnel to prepare financial return, as well as delays in release of approved funds among others. It is hoped that if these challenges are addressed, it will be a smooth ride to greater achievement in the college.

In conclusion therefore, I wish to state that TETFund intervention projects and programmes has impacted positively into human lives and welfare and infrastructures as well as teaching and learning in FCET(Omoku), of which we heartily appreciate the agency. The college will continually ensure that quality and precision are maintained at any point to ensure that the standards that guide TETFund intervention actions are followed.