By Hajara Ibrahim
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has disclaimed insinuations that it paid some money into the coffers of the All-Progressives Party (APC) Adamawa state chapter and its leadership adding that TETFund is not a political party funder.
TETFund manages, disburses and monitors education tax to public tertiary institutions, Abdulmumin Oniyangi Director, Public Affairs of TETFund further affirmed in a statement made available to Verity News.
Reacting to the allegations of money being paid to some officials of the party in a petition addressed to the National Security Adviser, (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, over the crisis rocking the Adamawa APC chapter, the woman leader of the party in the state, Mrs Patricia Yakubu had alleged the sum of N325 million was paid by TETFund between October 2023 and October 2024 to the state chapter.
This has since gone viral on social media hitting at the fund on a case it was not remotely connected to. “We wish to state unequivocally that the insinuation is not only preposterous and totally false, but also a great disservice to the Nation that an individual (Mrs Yakubu) of such political standing, would engage in such frivolity without an iota of evidence”, TETFund revealed
Oniyangi, who said the allegation was a futile attempt at disparaging the fund, also stated “that General Murtala Mohammed College (GMMC), Yola where TETFund contracts are alleged to have been sold is not a beneficiary institution of TETFund; while FCE Yola which is a beneficiary institution is solely responsible for engagement of its contractors in line with the policy of the Fund.
“The Fund has observed that allegations of this nature, sponsored by desperate individuals, have become the trend in recent times but will not be deterred in carrying out its statutory mandate which remains funding for the rehabilitation, restoration and consolidation of tertiary education in Nigeria.”
Explaining further, Oniyangi stated that “the fund has undertaken its mandate steadily over the years both as ETF and TETFund and with renewed vigour under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”
He therefore advised those he called “detractors” to “get their facts right so as to avoid misleading the public.”