The National Assembly Joint Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund has called for urgent measures to address security and power challenges in tertiary institutions.

Chairman of the joint committee, Muntari Dandutse, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday as a fallout of a retreat organised by the National Assembly in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

The retreat had the theme “Security and Energy Challenges in Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions.”

Mr Dandutse said the rising tide of insecurity and the persistent energy crisis in tertiary institutions demand immediate and focused attention.

He said the landscape of educational institutions was fraught with challenges that threaten the safety and well-being of students.

“As a committee that is saddled with the responsibility of oversight of tertiary institutions, we cannot fold our hands and watch idly the deteriorating state of our institutions.

“We feel legally, morally and conscientiously obligated to rise up to the occasion with a view to addressing this menace,” the senator said.

He decried the recent increase in cases of violence, kidnapping and other security threats, which he said had created an environment of fear and uncertainty in various institutions.

“Our students and educators deserve an environment conducive to learning and research, free from the spectre of insecurity.

“And this, we are poised to achieve by providing an enabling environment through legislative frameworks that would guarantee a level playing ground,” said Mr Dandutse.

The chairperson of the House Committee on TETFund and other Services, Miriam Onuoha, called for improved measures to tackle campus security measures.

Also, the chairman of the Board of TETFund, Aminu Masari, said the fund would create a new budget intervention line to address the pressing issues of security and power in Nigeria’s higher education sector.

Mr Masari underscored education’s pivotal role in the nation’s development and the urgent need for improved funding in the sector.

(NAN)