The Federal Government has raised concerns regarding the deduction of contractors’ fees totaling N28.8bn by seven tertiary institutions in the country. The institutions under scrutiny include Taraba State University, Lagos State University, Edo State University, Plateau State University, Federal College of Education Pankshin, College of Education Gindri, and Aminu Saleh College of Education. The deductions, flagged by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), were discovered during the audit of the 2023 financial year. The report highlighted that these deductions were not in line with TETFund guidelines and could impact the quality of work done by the contractors. Specific amounts deducted by some institutions were mentioned, such as N2.1bn by Taraba State University and N3.3bn by Lagos State University. Plateau State University and Edo State University also had significant deductions of N2.6bn and N1.9bn, respectively. The issue of extra deductions on payments to contractors remains a point of contention that requires further investigation and resolution.
TETFund queries varsities, colleges over N28.8bn deductions
