The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has denied insinuations that it is planning to waive sanctions for some lecturers who failed to attend conferences but were paid in full for it.
In a press statement yesterday, Abdulmumin Oniyangi, acting director, public affairs of the Fund, said at no point did the executive secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono blankly waive sanctions for such categories of lecturers.
“The executive secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono was specific when he was addressing the Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria (COHEADS) who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.
“For purpose of clarity, the Executive Secretary was responding to an appeal by the COHEADS for assistance with TETFund Special Intervention on capacity building and training for Polytechnic lecturers through Conference Attendance to equip them and develop their capacity to train students to be skilled entrepreneurs on graduation.”
He said Echono had in his speech drawn the attention of lecturers to take advantage of the platform of the Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (ATUPA) Conference scheduled for the year 2022.
“you did mention the ATUPA Conference. Many of the schools have not been performing very well in the recent past. Many institutions have not been able to access our Intervention for Conference Attendance. Those that are able to access, some have not attended. So, when we see a programme identified by you and is beneficial to all, we will prioritize it.”
“Indeed, for those staff in polytechnics, who have not been able to attend their conference that we have sanctioned, we will offer this (Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa ATUPA, Conference) window of opportunity for them.
For anybody who wants to attend this conference, who has outstanding, collected money and has not used it for the purpose it was meant for, we will approve. So that they utilize it and go and attend the conference to take them off the hook of those that would be asked to refund the money they collected without attending the conference.”
He said it became necessary to put the records straight as some of the media reports carried headlines that could easily mislead the public; and in this case, several concerned institutions and affected staff, have continued to put phone calls across to the Fund to ascertain the authenticity or otherwise of the report.
The Management of TETFund wishes to appeal for caution on the part of the media to restrain from using sensational headlines or words that could mislead the public.
It is noteworthy that TETFund will always be guided by its Mandate and Establishment Act, which entrenches accountability and transparency in the conduct of its day-to-day activities with Beneficiary Institutions.
Consequently, those who have been found wanting with regard to the Conference Attendance Programme of the Fund will be sanctioned accordingly.