Al-Hikmah University Vice-Chancellor Lateef Oladimeji yesterday renewed calls for private universities to be included in the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) programme. According to him, the exclusion of private universities from the Fund is unjust and counterproductive.

Speaking in Ilorin, the professor frowned on the legal framework barring private institutions from accessing TETFund despite their indirect contributions to the economy through taxes paid by the organised private sector.

The VC said: “It is unfortunate that funds sourced partly from the organised private sector exclude private Universities from benefiting. We are part of that ecosystem.”

He, however, said stakeholders had intensified efforts to persuade the National Assembly to amend the Act to accommodate private universities.

“All that is required is a review of the relevant clause to allow inclusion in the disbursement framework,” he added. The VC acknowledged that limited access to intervention funds has continued to strain research financing in private universities.

According to him, AlHikmah University has relied on institutional linkages and partnerships to attract research grants, adding that the inflow, however, remains inadequate.