As the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari approaches the last days of stay in office, Minister of State for Education, Rt Hon Goodluck Nanah Opiah has provided reasons behind support the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFund) has been receiving in the past eight years.
Speaking at the commissioning of TETFund-sponsored projects at the Federal Polytechnic,Oko, Anambra State, the Minister who represented President Buhari as the Special Guest of Honour and commissioned the projects, informed the audience during the event that since education plays a critical role in the socio-economic development of nations, the outgoing administration invested heavily on it by empowering TETfund to deliver effectively on the continuous development of public tertiary education in Nigeria.
He said that the motive of the Federal Government is to ensure that TETfund projects would “in no small measure further enhance teaching and learning and improve academic standards and further prepare our youths to be globally competitive
“I wish to reiterate that education forms an integral part of President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s agenda, hence the Federal Government would continue to provide necessary support towards making out educational institutions globally competitive for economic and technological development of the country”
In addition to what President Buhari has done to better the education sector in Nigeria, the Minister notes that “worthy of mention of his support for the intervention activities of TETfund is the recent upward review of Education Tax from 2 to 2.5 percent. This has in no small measure contributed to the success stories the fund and its beneficiary institutions have continued to record”
According to the Minister, through the support of the Federal Government, TETfund has been performing exceptionally well in the provision of physical infrastructure, support for academic staff training and development, book provision of ICT, research and development amongst others in public tertiary education institutions across the country.
The Minister who reeled out six iconic projects worth #697,924,427.34 commissioned at the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra, further revealed that other public tertiary education institutions in Anambra state namely; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli; Anambra State Polytechnic, Mgbaukwu; Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe; and Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze, have not been exempted from these intervention efforts of TETfund.
TETfund Executive Secretary of TETfund, Arc Sonny S.T Echono also received encomiums as the Minister praised the efforts of the interventionist agency at making good use of available funds in discharging the mandate expected of it for the continuous development of public tertiary education in the country.
The projects commissioned at the Federal Polytechnic Oko, by Rt Hon Goodluck Nanah Opiah who represented the President are:
Construction of multi-purpose hall, under the 2011/2014 (merged) annual intervention;
Construction of ICT main building, under 2011/2014 (merged) annual intervention;
Construction of school of renewable energy building, under 2011/2014 (merged) annual intervention;
Construction of agricultural technology engineering building. Under 2011/2014 (merged) annual intervention.
Construction of chemical engineering laboratory. Under 2016/2019 (merged)
Remarkably, Tetfund has also sponsored 101 lecturers from Fed Polytechnic Oko for Ph.D degrees in both foreign and local institutions totalling N487,527,656.10; 60 for Masters degrees in both foreign and local institutions totalling N293,102,450.00; while 90 staff have been sponsored to attend conferences both foreign and local institutions, totalling N111,471,159.50
The Minister who expressed happiness with the development strides of the management, staff and students led by the Rector, Engr. Dr. Francisca Nwafulugo, urged them to make good use of the new facilities for academic advancement.