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By Emmanuel Adeleke
President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated six Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) projects worth about N1 billion in Ekiti State.
Buhari, represented by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, said the projects will enhance teaching, learning and improve academic standards in the universities.
He said that TETFUND, through Federal Government’s support had performed well in infrastructure provision, support for academic staff training and development, among others to tertiary institutions.
He assured that government will continue to provide necessary support towards making educational institutions in the country to compete with their counterparts across the world for economic and technological development of the country.
Speaking, TETFUND Executive Secretary, Dr Sonny Echono, said completion and inauguration of the projects showed efficient management of Federal Government’s resources, adding that the provision of requisite infrastructure to aid teaching, learning and research, was in line with TETFUND’s mandate.
Echono, represented by the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation of TETFUND, Babatunde Olajide, said government is determined to ensure that tertiary institutions attain high global ranking and become more competitive through the provision of a conducive learning environment that would enable scholars and students to thrive and excel among their peers.
The TETFUND boss disclosed that the vocation education workshop complex at Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti (BOUESTI), gulped N318 million; the three projects at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), including construction and furnishings of lecture theatre Block A for Faculty of Science cost N369.89 million while the Faculty of the Social Science twin lecture theatre and medical ward for the health centre at Ekiti State University (EKSU) cost N306.85 miilion.
Speaking, BOUESTI Vice Chancellor, Prof Olufemi Adeoluwa, commended Buhari and TETFUND for providing the vocational education workshop for the institution.
“No doubt, the provision of this facility will further enhance a higher quality of delivery and equip our staff and students with acquisition of relevant skills that will give them competitive edge,” he said.
Adeoluwa stressed that TETFUND, since inception, had placed all tertiary institutions in Nigeria on higher pedestal in terms of physical infrastructure, provision of standard learning facilities, conference attendance sponsorship, academic staff training and development, library development and ICT interventions.
Beneficiaries of the projects are the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti; Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti; and Federal University, Oye Ekiti.