The National Assembly Joint Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund has called on stakeholders to give more attention to the security and power challenges faced by tertiary institutions in the country.
Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Muntari Dandutse, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday, as a fallout of a retreat organised by the National Assembly in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The retreat was themed ‘Security and Energy Challenges in Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions’.
According to Dandutse, the rising tide of insecurity and the persistent energy crisis in tertiary institutions demanded immediate and focused attention.
He said that the landscape of the educational institutions was fraught with challenges.
“These challenges threaten not only the safety and well-being of our students and faculties, but also the very integrity of our educational mission.
“As a committee that is saddled with the responsibility of oversight of tertiary institutions, we cannot fold our hands and watch idly, the deteriorating state of our institutions.
“We feel legally, morally and conscientiously obligated to rise up to occasion with a view to addressing this menace.
“However, the recent surge in violence, kidnapping, and other security threats has created an environment of fear and uncertainty, thus undermining the core functions of these institutions.
“Our students and educators deserve an environment conducive to learning and research, free from the specter of insecurity.
“And this, we are poised to achieve by providing an enabling environment through legislative frameworks that would guarantee a level playing ground.”
Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on TETFund and other Services, Rep. Miriam Onuoha, called for improved measures to tackle the security challenges on campuses.
Also, chairman of the Board of TETFund, Aminu Bello Masari, said that the Fund would create a new budget intervention line aimed at addressing the pressing issues of security and power in Nigeria’s higher education sector.
Masari underscored the pivotal role that education plays in the nation’s development and the urgent need for improved funding in the sector.
“Threats to security and inadequate power supply pose significant risks to the stability and success of our higher institutions.
“These issues not only jeopardise the safety of students and staff but also negatively impact academic performance and the overall functioning of institutions,” Masari stated.
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