By Godknows Igali
Heads of government all over the world are daily faced with the big challenge of sourcing and putting in the right places, men and women of competence and dedication who will advance the developmental aspirations of their countries. Understandably, one of such sets of appointments, considered most critical are those picked from time to time to manage the highest levels of the educational sector of any country. This is due to the fact that effective educational development is at the very heart of the national aspirations of every country through the investments they make into the future.
Indeed, education enhances economic growth and development, boost the quality and standard of living and ensures the overall competitiveness of the country. Of particular significance is the appointment of people to manage various aspects of tertiary education development which the World Bank believes is the key driver in fostering growth and shared prosperity. Hence, appointments to fill critical positions in this sector, being this third level in the educational ladder is one of the most critical decisions any government can take. This is why Nigerians, like their counterparts around the world are always interested in those handling positions of trust around tertiary education setting.
At a time when the Nigerian tertiary education system encompassing Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and the like are in dire straits, the recent decision by President Muhammadu Buhari in the arduous task of appointing a new Executive Secretary for the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), in the person of Architect Sonny Sylva Togo Echono, is being applauded by most critical stakeholders in the sector. As a matter of fact, Nigerians from all walks of life have continued to pour unprecedented encomiums on Mr. President for an appointment that typifies the common saying of square peg being put in a square hole. Mr. Echono, itinerant university teacher, immediate past President of the Nigerian Institute of Architects and a consummate technocrat whose last function was Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education and therefore the actual administrative head of that critical sector of Nigeria’s national life.
A. FUNDING OF TERTIARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: PAST AND PRESENT
Nigeria’s tertiary educational sub-sector has undergone a great metamorphosis. This has resulted in an exponential increase of our universities and post secondary educational institutions. In the case of universities, from just one (1), that is University of Ibadan in 1948, we have increased to the present number of 202. Of this number, 49 are owned by the Federal government, 54 by State governments and 99 by private investors. However, over the years, the university system in the country has been plagued by a number of challenges. This is especially with respect to the high level of rot and decay in infrastructures, long period of sustained neglect and lack of access to funds for effective learning and research. It was against this backdrop that the Nigerian government especially in the 1980’s constituted the Commission for the review of Higher Education in Nigeria headed by the former Federal Permanent Secretary/Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Grey Longe to proffer solutions. It was this revered bureaucrat who amongst other things, recommended setting up of a special fund through earmarked task to be borne by companies operating in Nigeria.
Thereafter, the Federal government constituted an implementation committee headed by Prof. Olu Akinkugbe. At the same time, an agreement was signed on 3rd September 1992 between the Federal government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Based on all these, in January 1993, the government of military President, Ibrahim Babangida by military decree No. 7 of 1993 promulgated the Education Tax Act of 1993. This law, establishing the ETF was clear as recommended by the Longe Commission that 2% tax be placed on assessable profit of all companies in Nigeria. This solution was novel and home grown with the aim that it will radically transform how university education was being funded in our country. The irony is that this came as a result of the resolve by a military dictator to boost the welfare of teachers and other critical hands in the sector, improve the environment in which young Nigerians are made to study and live.
Like most public institutions, especially as the carrying capacity of our tertiary sector became exponentially increased and other parallel bodies such as Universal Basic Education Commission(UBEC) and related bodies to cater for special educational needs were established, the Education Trust Fund (ETF) became overburdened, unwieldy and ineffective to meet the needs of specialized tertiary education.
It is against this backdrop, that the ETF Decree was amended by decree 40 of 1998 to enable it operate more effectively. This was still inadequate as the pressure on the accruable funds left tertiary education especially universities receiving the short end of the stick. Thanks to pressures from all and sundry, the ETF Act was abolished and replaced in 2011, during the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan, with what is now known as Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). The TETFUND Establishment Act of 2011, actually “repeals the Education Tax Act Cap. E4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Education Tax Fund Act No. 17, 2003” all of which had come in course of time.
Since then, TETFund has become the goose that lays the golden egg and the main sustainer of the Nigerian educational system. The body is officially stated to have spent over 2.5 trillion Naira in tertiary education system in the past ten years. In 2021 alone, TETFund is reported to have invested 300 billion.
B. WHO HAS MANAGED THE FUND
By the laws setting up both ETF and TETFund, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is empowered to pick capable citizens who are adjudged able to manage the fund for the general good of the sector. With specific respect to TETFund, similar to ETF, the law (Section 8 (1), states that those who are so appointed as Executive Secretary (ES) must
(a) be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister;
(b) be the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Fund;
(c) be a person with good knowledge and cognate academic and administrative experience in tertiary education; and
(d) have qualifications and experience as are appropriate for a person required to perform the functions of that office under this Act”.
In other words, the Minister who makes recommendations to the President is expected to be guided by the above criteria. Of particular note is the fact that whoever so appointed must be a person with the capacity to be the Chief Executive Officer of such a large organization and run it efficiently. This will mean if we dissect the requirements further deeper, that such persons:
i. must have had a track record of running a reasonably large organization, be able to ensure its sustenance and make it to be useful to all and sundry;
ii. as accounting officer, and the chief custodian of the funds that comes in and must use it transparently in a prudent and judicious manner for the benefit of the sector. In other words, he must be a person of high integrity and free from corrupt tendencies;
iii. must be a person whose knowledge of the academic sector is very robust;
iv. added to this, must be a person of sufficient academic qualification that could fit into being able to run such a big organization;
v. he must have sufficient administrative experience on how tertiary institutions are being run in the country; and
vi. finally, his overall demeanour must be such that his qualification and experience are enough to perform the functions of the office.
In compliance with these requirements, the various Presidents of Nigeria have exercised their discretion in appointing persons into the position of Executive Secretary of TETFund and ETF. Those so appointed, include:
- Tijani Ahmed Abdulkadir, public servant, who later became Permanent Secretary in 2009, was ES from 1994 – 1999.
- Next was Mustapha Abba-Jaji, MNI a consummate civil servant and one time Deputy Registrar of University of Maiduguri, was ES from 1999 – 2007.
- Next was Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, now Chairman of INEC, but served as ES from 2007 – 2012, that is including when ETF was transformed to TETFund.
- Next was Mallam Aliyu Na’Iya, a public servant, whose tenure as ES was 2012 – 2014.
- Next was Dr. Abdullahi Baffa who was Executive Secretary from 2016 – 2019.
- Last was Prof. Suleiman Bogoro who was ES from, 2014-2016 and from 2019 till date as current outgoing Executive Secretary.
It is of particular note that the appointments to this position have so far been held by competent Nigerians from academia and public service. However. It would have remained of sad special concern that the appointments had so far been limited to persons only from one section of the country (North West and North East). However, with the new appointment, PMB has broken the seeming exclusivity.
C. EXIT BOGORO AND ENTER ECHONO
When it became obvious that the tenure of outgoing Executive Secretary, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro was coming to an end, there was great apprehension, as to who next? This is more so as Bogoro seemed to have done his best under the given circumstances, including period of economic meltdown and recovery and dwindling receipts from oil. A great sigh of relief was however heaved when the news of Mr. Echono’s appointment was made. According to Wikipedia, born on 16th December, 1962 in Otukpo, the main town of Idoma land in Benue State, Echono boasts of intimidating credentials that qualifies him to hold the highest offices of public trust in Nigeria if that opportunity came. A first class brain and a holder of post graduate degrees in Architecture, Business Administration and Procurement Management from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Benue State University and University of Turin, Italy.
He started as Graduate Assistant at University of Jos. He however branched off early and rose steadily in the Federal Civil Service and got to the pinnacle as a Permanent Secretary. Having served in that capacity at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, where he is still remembered as being behind some of the very noble initiatives on production of rice and other food and cash crops. His very close work with Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, former Minister of Agriculture and now President of Africa Development Bank, during that period, is referred to commonly as a model for political and bureaucratic classes to follow in the pursuit of national goals (With his new position, it is expected, that he will be able to leverage TETFUND financial resources with such powerful global network).
He was later posted to Federal Ministry of Communication, where he is remembered as the champion of digital economy. Interesting enough, the global University system is also becoming increasingly part of the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’. Finally, Echono was posted to the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) as Permanent Secretary and served from 2017 till his voluntary exit in February 2022 after 35 years of meritorious service to fatherland. As Nigeria’s representative on the Board of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), he secured within 6 months (2021) a US$125 million GRANT for Nigeria (the highest for any country ever). He is recorded as having seen to the modest but major increase in education budget while he served in FME. It is also severally reported by national media, that his role in FME helped the current leadership of those 60 agencies under him to ensure effective performance under difficult constraints.
Added to this, a lot of the leaders of ASUU have on several occasions, publicly appreciated his role as an honest broker in negotiations between ASUU and the Federal Government, thereby resulting in ensuring relative peace in the educational sector. Although this has not been fully achieved, but his role is greatly appreciated.
It also very remarkable to mention that Echono had in the past 27 years, sat on the Council of the Nigerian Institute of Architects and particularly handled responsibilities associated with standards and certification in architectural education for 20 years. Ultimately, in 2019, he rose to become the 28th President of NIA and by that, the leader of the 12,000 architects in Nigeria. In that position, which by implication made him a key player in the African and international body of Architects, Echono was able to put in place the framework for improved performance of the sector and attainment of set national goals.
The other strong point which creates a lot of excitement is the fact that Echono is likely to deploy his very wide administrative experience in the sector to reposition TETFund and ensure that life of the entire post-secondary education subsector in Nigeria is globally competitive and meets the aspirations of all Nigerians. On this note, many of us who are stakeholders in the sector say to Prof Bogoro well done, and to Mr. Echono, welcome. To President PMB, kudos on this!
