EFCC beams searchlight on 12 Jonathan’s varsities

From Mika’il Tsoho Dutse

The twelve newly federal universities constructed during the last administration of former President Jonathan Ebele Goodluck are currently under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC).
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Dr Abdullahi Baffa Bichi stated this while commissioning 14 new projects yesterday at Federal University Dutse.
He explained that, the newly Universities are on investigation for lack of prudence and judicious use of Funds given to them to develop their institutions for better development of the sector.
He also said that, the Federal University Dutse, (FUD) will receive N3 billion intervention from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for the year 2017.
The Executive Secretary maintained that, the commissioned 14 projects built by the University are under the TETFund arrangement from 2013 and 2014 respectively.
According to the TETFund Executive secretary, “while many universities are battling corruption charges against contractors the FUD had the mind set to organise themselves to achieve such feat”, he said.
He said, “this is the first time in the history of TETFund where we are commissioning up to 14 projects on the same day and by the same university”.
He urged the university to start the process of accessing the N100 million fund released to them as zonal intervention for the services of lavatory and students shuttle from off campus to the university.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Fatima Batul Mukhtar declared that the sum of N1.4 billion was expended by the University for the construction of all the 14 projects financed by the TETFund.
Prof. Batul said amongst the projects to be commissioned include the Faculty of Agriculture Phase 1 to 111, faculty of General studies, centre for entrepreneurship, centre for E-learning, academic staff office block for both faculty of sciences and faculty of Arts respectively.
Others include biotechnology laboratory, computer science department building, classrooms, faculty of management science phase 1, university clinic and postgraduate students’ hostel phase 1.
She stated that the college of medicine and health sciences complex and the university sports complex also sponsored by TETFund would be commissioned in February to serve as part of its third pre convocation programmes.