By Favour Nnabugwu
Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Tetfund, has read the riot act to universities seeking to be enlisted in the Federal Government’s grant, especially state-owned universities.

Executive Secretary of Tetfund, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said states universities which desired Tetfund to have them enlisted in the regular intervention fund, would have to pass the seven litmus test of the agency before they could be considered.

Yakubu, who received Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State and Governing Council of Bauchi State University, led by the institution’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, in his office in Abuja yesterday, said for Tetfund to enlist states universities for its regular intervention, the university must be a public one and must request the agency to enlist it in writing.

He also said the university must present a copy of the law establishing it and present evidence of recognition by the National Universities Commission, NUC, and must have commenced academic session.

He noted that the agency will not fund a university that had no students; and that Tetfund must go to the university to verify the commencement of academic session.

Yakubu, who commended the dispassionate way with which the state governor established the university, said Bauchi State University remained the only university in the country where the Chairman of the Governing Council, the Pro-Chancellor and the Registrar were not from the state.

The new university, according to Mallam Yuguda, will commence academic programmes February 20.