The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) has expressed its protest against the decision made by the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to halt the implementation of the 2024 TETFund intervention in state-owned universities. According to a press statement signed by the Secretary of the committee, Suleiman Abubakar Mahdi, the directive from the House Committee is unprecedented and infringes upon the doctrine of the separation of powers.
COPSUN argues that the Governing Councils of state-owned universities have the authority to award or approve the award of contracts after following the appropriate procurement processes. Additionally, the funds disbursed by TETFund are owned by the states and are subject to appropriation and exclusive oversight by the state Houses of Assembly. Therefore, COPSUN believes that the directive from the House Committee should not be applied to state-owned universities.
The committee also raises concerns about the timing of the directive, as time is of the essence in executing these contracts. With the rising dollar exchange rate and resulting inflation, costs are expected to increase. COPSUN calls for the House Committee to reconsider the directive and allow for further consultations.
The National Assembly recently stopped the N683 billion TETFund intervention projects for 2024 and requested that all universities submit relevant documents to the committee.
