The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is set to unveil more than 411 intervention projects across 271 beneficiary institutions nationwide within the next four months. Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this in Abuja while speaking with journalists shortly after the inauguration of chairmen and members of boards of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education, as well as principal officers of newly established institutions and reappointed chief executives.
Project Scope and Timeline
Echono explained that the projects, spread across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, cover critical areas aimed at improving teaching, learning, research, and innovation in public tertiary institutions. He added that the projects would be commissioned between June and September this year. The Fund also developed new regional offices in Kaduna, Bauchi, and Port Harcourt, ready for unveiling.
Infrastructure and Facilities
The Executive Secretary noted that the projects include lecture theatres, hostels, laboratories, libraries, research centres, academic office complexes, innovation hubs, and other educational infrastructure funded through various TETFund intervention lines. Preparations are already underway for a nationwide commissioning exercise that will involve top government officials and stakeholders in the education sector.
High-Profile Involvement
He stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa, and other prominent dignitaries are expected to participate in the inauguration of iconic projects across different parts of the country. “Again, it’s a season for us. We are now approaching the season for harvest. Mr. President’s efforts over the last two to three years is beginning to bear a lot of fruits and commissioning of projects will commence in June. We are going to start first from home. TETFund has developed new regional offices in Kaduna, Bauchi, Port Harcourt, and these three are ready for commissioning. And thereafter, we’ll progress to our institutions. 411 projects are due for commissioning between June and September, and we are going to spread them out, because there are so many we are involving. There are some very iconic ones we are going to leave for Mr. President. We sought leave of him so that as he goes around, also visiting these states, he will commission some of our iconic project. The Honorable Minister have accepted to commission some of the major ones too, and will share others with other principal officers in our government,” he said.
Government Commitment
Also speaking to reporters, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the scale of the projects reflects the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to repositioning tertiary education and addressing decades of infrastructural deficits affecting public institutions. He added that the interventions are designed not only to expand access to quality education but also to strengthen research capacity, improve the learning environment, and enhance institutional competitiveness. “Over 411 projects built within the last 30 months by this President. When we say the President has committed more fund to the education sector, it’s not abstract,” he said.
