Proprietors of private universities and parents of students pay taxes to the Federal Government; they should not be excluded from intervention funds. This was the position of the Vice Chancellor of Trinity University, Yaba, Prof. Clement Kolawole, who urged an end to the discrimination against private institutions regarding access to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
He made the plea during a media briefing ahead of the university’s fourth convocation ceremony scheduled for March 27, 2026. Kolawole expressed concern that excluding private universities and their students from these funds violates the principle of equal rights.
“It is important to carry them along, too, because their parents pay taxes. Proprietors of private universities also pay taxes. So, there’s no reason for the discrimination,” Kolawole stated.
The Vice Chancellor argued that students in private institutions should enjoy the NELFund just like their counterparts in federal and state universities. He further advocated for staff in private universities to access TETFund for research purposes. He emphasized that private institutions are producing graduates who contribute to national development.
“TETFund should give me a building in my university because I am also producing Nigerians who will graduate and contribute to the social and political development of this country. So, the fact that their parents can struggle to send them to private universities should not be criminalised,” he argued.
Kolawole insisted that every Nigerian is entitled to equal opportunities and rights. The briefing also served to announce the convocation activities. A convocation lecture will be delivered by Pastor Poju Oyemade, Senior Pastor and Founder of The Covenant Nation. This will be followed by a thanksgiving service as part of the graduation ceremonies.
