THE Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has said that the intervention agency has disbursed around N2 trillion to tertiary institutions across the country between 2011 and 2024.
He stated that the intervention was deployed to enhance infrastructural projects such as senate buildings, classrooms, lecture theatres, auditoria, ICT centres, laboratories and laboratory research equipment, libraries, workshops, and hostels, among many others, across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary, who was speaking at the 41st Convocation Lecture of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, tagged “TETFund And Educational Development in Nigeria: The Treasures and The Future,” noted that since 2011, TETFund has also provided scholarships to over 42,000 scholars across institutions in Nigeria, both locally and overseas.
Echono stated that TETFund has, without a doubt, recorded laudable achievements under its various intervention lines, adding that it has further equipped and sponsored the publication of books and journals in various institutions, as well as providing grants to scholars and lecturers under the National Research Fund (NRF) and the Institution-Based Research (IBR) grants.
The organization further stated that it has also approved nearly 150,000 academic and non-academic staff for conferences and workshops, according to him.
He added that these efforts are aimed at enhancing the capacity of beneficiary institutions to fulfill their mandates in nation-building and development, stressing that the Fund has implemented various intervention projects in the beneficiary institutions under two broad categories: the Annual Direct Intervention and the Special Intervention.
The Executive Secretary observed further that the future of Nigeria’s educational development should be tailored toward strengthening the tertiary education institutions for sustainable national development in a post-subsidy era in Nigeria.
He reaffirmed a sustainable funding model, autonomy of tertiary institutions, strengthened research capacity, and academia-industry linkage and collaboration.
Echono explained that these efforts are aimed at enhancing the capacity of beneficiary institutions to fulfill their mandates in nation-building and development, stressing that the Fund has implemented various intervention projects in the beneficiary institutions under two broad categories: the Annual Direct Intervention and the Special Intervention.
The Executive Secretary further observed that the future of Nigeria’s educational development should be anchored on strengthening the tertiary education institutions for sustainable national development in a post-subsidy era in Nigeria.
Echono pointed out that some core areas of intervention by TETFund include physical infrastructure and program upgrades; academic staff training and development; library/book development; and research and development. He declared that “all public tertiary institutions across the country are dotted with TETFund projects which bear the ubiquitous insignia of the Fund.”
According to him, infrastructure has been given special attention by the Fund because of its decay and collapse across public tertiary institutions in Nigeria,” disclosing that over 152,838 infrastructural projects have been carried out across various public tertiary institutions from 2011 to date.
He also identified some futuristic and innovative projects intended to ensure the improvement of tertiary education to stimulate research activities and foster innovation, which have been embarked on by the Fund.
“Developing the critical sectors of the nation requires that we position our institutions and equip them with state-of-the-art technology and laboratory equipment needed for research activities and information technology.
These innovative projects are intended to ensure the improvement of tertiary education and its standard in the country, to stimulate research activities, foster innovation, and position beneficiaries to become hubs that will stimulate the industrialization of the country,” he added.
“Some of the innovative projects, according to Echono, include six central multipurpose research laboratories; three smart agricultural laboratory farms in Abeokuta, Umudike, and Makurdi, to be extended to Zuru, Mubi, and Kwale; six innovation hubs/parks to promote entrepreneurial activities; disaster recovery centers, among others.
“With sustained education tax collection, diligent appropriation, and prudent management by the Fund and its beneficiaries; and with the support of the Federal Government, TETFund will continuously strive to attain the status of a world-class education interventionist agency and become a financial backbone for educational research efforts in Nigeria.
“The Fund will enhance the administrative efficiency and effectiveness of its activities by ensuring the prudent, judicious, and prompt disbursement of approved funds. Let me say that it is the consensus of stakeholders that TETFund is making a veritable impact on the tertiary education landscape of the country.
I may also add that some other African nations have borrowed the concept and successfully used the model in their countries. These achievements have endeared TETFund to its stakeholders and created the required impetus for their continuous support.”
He stressed that a sustainable funding model, strengthened research capacity, autonomy of tertiary institutions, and academia-industry linkage and collaboration are mechanisms to strengthen the tertiary education system in Nigeria to achieve laudable developmental goals.
“For our educational institutions to be competitive, considering the current state of the institutions and the challenges confronting the Nigerian economy, the tertiary education system should derive its focus from the overarching philosophy of Nigeria, which centers on fostering unity and harmony grounded in principles of freedom, equality, and justice in the face of the country’s diversity, to build a dynamic economy in a strong and self-reliant nation,” he pointed out.