NUJ Seeks Partnership with TETFund on Education Reporting, Other Activities
By: Aishatu Shalangwa
A delegation from the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by its National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahya, on Monday paid a courtesy call to the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, at the Fund’s Headquarters in Abuja.
The visit was aimed at strengthening the working relationship between the Union and the Fund. Speaking during the meeting, the NUJ President commended TETFund for its visible impact on tertiary institutions across the country. He stated that the Union was interested in how the Fund is addressing infrastructural deficits in schools.
Yahya however presented key areas for collaboration, such as the International Institute of Journalism in Nigeria, which is saddled with the responsibility of training journalists with the sole aim of improving the journalism profession in order to avoid quackery and yellow journalism. He noted that the Institute requires training equipment that includes FM and TV stations.
In the area of increased visibility on TETFund programmes and projects in tertiary institutions across the country, the NUJ delegation called for greater information sharing to enable journalists to properly situate the achievements and challenges of the intervention fund within the proper historical and social contexts.
The NUJ president spoke of the possibility of a mutually collaborative effort towards ascertaining and affirming the status of projects as well as their impacts on specific education campuses as well as their overall impact in Nigerias education system.
He further made a request on the agency to support the forthcoming 2026 Media Summit to be held in Abuja, explaining that the essence of the summit was to invite academicians and other stakeholders to brainstorm towards making sure they improve on issues, especially issues of security and funding towards education in the country, and he believed this would enable them to change the narrative to take their country to a greater height.
Receiving the journalists, the TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, appreciated journalists for the difficult work they do in creating a balance between their natural aspirations to seek growth of the country and also holding those in public service accountable on how they discharge their responsibilities.
He provided insights into the operations of the Fund, noting that there is room for improvement in the discharge of their duties in terms of physical structure, research facilities, as well as students and lecturers living conditions on campus, which require improvement and additional investments.
He was the first to acknowledge that in spite of obvious successes, challenges still exist and are daily being confronted and worked on to ensure that the interventionist bodys laudable objectives are achieved.
While acknowledging Alhassans call for more public funding for the institution, the executive secretary affirmed the tremendous support the body had been receiving from the president of the country.
He stated that to do it well, they needed to sustain funding for the institution and sector. He expressed appreciation for the president sustaining and increasing the education tax and requested that the NUJ tell a bit of their story, showcasing what they do with the funds, to build trust on what they have been able to do with them in the institutions under their watch.
He added that to do that properly, partnership with the NUJ could not be a matter of convenience but a necessity.
He assured the NUJ of the Fund’s commitment to transparency, adding that they are constrained by law that narrow their support space to universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
He stated that they were willing to send their staff to the NUJs training institute on short training courses to improve their skills and sponsor TETFund staff participation in programmes, as well as support certain NUJ programmes under their corporate social responsibility initiatives and obligations.
He noted that the publication of journals, books, and magazines for academic purposes falls within the ambit of their responsibilities, and they could support with the publications of such, as well as ensure that people get to see them.
He extended their hand of fellowship and assured the delegation on behalf of the team and Board of Trustees that TETFund is media friendly.
The Secretary assured that TETfund was not averse to measured, responsible constructive criticism that would drive the education sector forward.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists delegation included the National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahya; the National Secretary, Achike Chude; the Federal Capital Territory Chairman, Grace Ike; Benue Council Chairman, Ugber M. Bemdoo and others.
Highpoints of the visit included the presentation of a souvenir to the NUJ President. The courtesy call ended with both parties agreeing to establish a channel of regular communication to ensure that the Nigerian public is well informed on developments in the tertiary education sub-sector.
