The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has condemned the plot by some individuals
to disrupt the activities of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and maligning its leadership.
This is contained in a statement by the President of COEASU, Dr Smart Olugbeko, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
Olugbeko said that TETFund had remained the only succour for unbridled development in public tertiary institutions providing strategic infrastructure, robust staff development and unprecedented culture of research.
He added that the union was impressed and totally satisfied by the recent reforms and innovations introduced by the management of TETFund under the leadership of Sonny Echono towards increased impact and more efficient service delivery.
He, therefore, condemned the recent plot by some members of the public to disrupt the activities of the fund.
” We received the news with great consternation and concern that certain individuals and groups are plotting to disrupt the activities of TETFund and malign its leadership.
” It beats all sensibilities that anyone anywhere could be so mean as to be bent on smearing the image of the fund and its management, especially the Executive Secretary, in spite of the giant strides and impactful efforts of TETFund.
” We condemn such malicious mission in the strongest terms and declare that the evil machinations of detractors shall fail,” Olugbeko said.
According to him, under the present executive secretary, the fund has not only preserved the great legacies of past administrations but has surpassed them and improved significantly through progressive innovations and transparent commitment to due process.
” Our Union and other like-minded stakeholders hold TETFund in the highest esteem and bear first-hand testimony to TETFund’s honest and diligent adherence to laid down regulations in the discharge of its mandate to beneficiary institutions.
” TETFund is a product of unions’ agitations; therefore, all the academic staff unions in tertiary institutions keep an eagle eye on its activities and do constantly interact with the leadership of the fund.
” We made bold to say that TETFund is one of the few agencies of government in Nigeria that are discharging their mandates diligently.
” Colleges of Education have benefitted immensely from the activities of the fund; our colleges would have suffered terribly without the intervention of TETFund,” he added.
He, therefore, enjoined all governmental authorities and the entire members of the public not to be swayed by such image smearing and malicious petitions against an agency.
He said that such acrimonious campaigns only stem from their failure to have their way for personal gains against the rules.