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TETFund urges Nigerian students to safeguard campus infrastructure during protests.

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The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, has called on Nigerian students to protect infrastructure on their campuses during the nationwide protest planned for August 1–10.

Echono made this appeal during a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday with a delegation from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), led by its National President, Comrade Lucky Emonefe.

During the meeting, Echono highlighted various infrastructure projects funded by TETFund aimed at creating a conducive learning environment for students. He emphasized the importance of safeguarding these assets, urging students to ensure they are not damaged during the protests. “Please be vigilant on your campuses. Protect all TETFund assets, including buildings funded by taxpayers’ money. Ensure no one damages them,” he said. He warned against allowing “hoodlums” to exploit the situation to cause destruction.

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Echono also stressed the importance of maintaining a stable academic calendar, noting that President Bola Tinubu had instructed the Minister of Education to prioritize stability in the education sector. This stability includes ensuring that students can follow a predictable academic schedule and graduate on time. He added that the President had tasked TETFund with improving the quality of education and student welfare on campus.

He announced that TETFund is constructing 36 modern hostel facilities in tertiary institutions in 2024, with plans to increase this number to 72 in 2025, as directed by the President. He also mentioned efforts to address campus transportation issues by converting existing buses to CNG and providing mass transit buses for students as part of TETFund’s interventions.

Addressing the issue of power supply, Echono expressed concern over the high electricity bills faced by some universities, which can range from N300 million to N400 million per month. He revealed that TETFund is in discussions with the Ministry of Power to find sustainable solutions for power supply in tertiary institutions.

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Echono also disclosed that the President has directed the immediate payment of four months of salary arrears owed to the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (NASU). He urged student leaders to discourage actions that could lead to social disorder, assuring them that the government is open to addressing their demands through negotiation.

Comrade Emonefe, the NANS President, stated that the association had decided not to proceed with the national protest, realizing that dialogue had been more effective in securing interventions for students. He praised TETFund’s proposed intervention in power supply and requested additional support, including building a secretariat for Nigerian students and funding agricultural projects in universities.

Echono’s comments follow productive discussions between the government and students, which have led to the cancellation of the planned protest in favor of negotiation. He encouraged students to articulate their concerns and seek discussions with authorities, emphasizing that President Tinubu is open to hearing and addressing their issues.

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