By Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appealed to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to relax some of its guidelines to enable state-owned universities to access the N4.9 billion intervention fund earmarked for them between 2017 and 2023.
Sanwo-Olu made this appeal during a courtesy visit by the House of Representatives Committee on TETFUND, chaired by Princess Miriam Onuoha, at Lagos House.
The committee, which was on an oversight mission, disclosed that Lagos State was among several states that failed to access the intervention funds earmarked by the Federal Government.
Onuoha specifically revealed that Lagos State had not accessed the N4.9 billion allocated over the past six years due to its inability to meet the funding criteria.
During discussions with the governor, Onuoha stated that the committee was in the state to understand the reasons behind the state’s failure to access the funds and to propose solutions to overcome the challenges.
She added that the committee would be visiting other states across the federation to ensure all affected states can access the funds, with Lagos being the first point of call.
In response, Sanwo-Olu pleaded with the committee to increase the funding allocated to the state, noting that Lagos now has three universities and also plans to get approval for the fourth.
He commended the House Committee on TETFUND for its commitment to ensuring Nigerian students have access to quality education, which could reduce the ‘Japa syndrome’ of education tourism.