FCT Minister, AGF Demand Amendment Of TETFund Act To Include Law School

Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi have called for the amendment of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Act 2021 (as amended) to incorporate the Nigeria Law School as one of its beneficiaries.

The duo made the advocacy Monday in Abuja where the AGF turned the sod for the construction of 10 sets of 4-bedroom bungalows for staff of the Nigeria Law School, Bwari, Abuja.

The projects, sponsored by the FCT Administration, are inclusive of furnishings and other ancillary services as well as landscaping,

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At the event where the FCT minister also donated three coaster buses and four Hilux vehicles to the law school, the AGF noted that while the institution is not regarded as a university, it cannot also be seen as just an ordinary institution.

He said; “The Nigeria Law School is not a university and yet it is not an ordinary institution. However, if you look at the laws setting up TETFund, the law school is not included and I think the time has come for the Nigeria Law School to be regarded as a university to benefit from the Fund”.

Prince Fagbemi urged individuals of means to come to the aid of the school which he said has various campuses across the country.

“The issue of accommodation is very important. If the staff do not have where they will sleep, it will affect their minds and the quality of the students they turn out”, he added.

While praising the FCT minister for his intervention projects for the Judiciary, the Body of Benchers and the Nigerian Law School even right from when he was governor in Rivers state, the Attorney General said the former governor is one person who does not pretend about where he stands on issues.

He said; “Whether or not you like him, you cannot dispute the fact that he is a performer. He is one person where you know where he stands. He does not pretend. He is one person who also does not abandon projects. At the Federal Executive Council FEC meetings, he will always advocate that you don’t start a project if you don’t have the money to complete it. And he is a man of taste. Of quality”.

While responding, Wike promised to include two hostel projects – male and female – for the law school in the 2025 budget of the FCT, adding that the staff accommodation project would be completed between eight and nine months.

He said; “This school is owned by he Federal Government and there is nothing wrong in the Federal Government trying to provide basic infrastructure to uplift the school. It is the responsibility of the Federal Government and the President directed, that he had heard of the decay in infrastructure and that we should provide the infrastructure”.

On the law school not benefitting from the TETFund, Wike said; “Attorney General, I want to say, it is getting too late for the amendment of the TETFund Act in order for the Nigeria Law School to be included for the funding. This is a professional training school. So, we will give you all the necessary support that TETFund should be amended for the law school to benefit from it as a special intervention fund.

“If that happens, I am sure you will see that the difference will be clear. They will have money to provide infrastructure.

If you go and check their budget, you will laugh. Today, the deputy chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, who represented the chairman, said, look, that they are willing to help the judiciary. According to him, he used the word, jerk.

He said, they will jerk the budget up. Please, I want to also send this message that the should help us jerk up that of the Nigeria Law School, so that it can have adequate funding”.