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From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
President Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned six Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund-sponsored projects at the Benue State University, (BSU), Makurdi.
According to him, the “six iconic projects” are worth N2, 612,410,000.00.
The President who was represented by the Minister Of Special Duties And Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, said education forms an integral part of his administration’s agenda, hence he would continue to provide necessary support towards making the educational institutions globally competitive for economic and technological development of the country.
While noting that through the support of the Federal Government, TETFund has performed exceptionally in the provision of physical infrastructure, support for academic staff training and development, book publication, ICT, Research and Development amongst others in public tertiary educational institutions across the country, he was also happy that the Benue state University, Makurdi, and other public tertiary educational institutions in Benue State like Joseph Sarwan Tarka University Benue State have not been exempted from these intervention efforts of TETFund.
“As part of the intervention efforts of TETFund in this University, I am glad to note that six iconic projects worth N2, 612,410,000.00 will be commissioned at this University today.”
The projects include Construction and Furnishing of Academic Staff Office Building under the 2017/2020 (merged) Annual intervention, Construction and Furnishing of Block of Offices for College of Health Science under the 2017/2020 (merged) Annual intervention and Construction and Furnishing of Education Building under 2014/2016 (merged) Annual intervention.
Others are Construction of Research, Development and Innovation Centre under 2014/2016 (merged) Annual intervention as well as Construction of Health and Counselling Development Centre under 2014/2016 (merged) Annual intervention.
He also noted that “the Fund has also sponsored 20,332 lecturers from this University for Ph.D degrees in both foreign and local institutions totaling N153,521,887,426.41 while 16,153 others were sponsored for Masters Degrees in both foreign and local institutions totaling N42,276,142,212.13 and 92 for Postdocs totaling N951,568,084.80.
“994 have been sponsored for Bench work totaling N 5,052,165,039.48 while 54,229.00 staff have been sponsored to attend Conferences in both foreign and local totaling N23,199,986,710.49.”
While Commissioning the projects, the President congratulate the Vice Chancellor, Professor Tor Iorapuu, the management, staff and students of this great University for the developmental strides at the institution and admonished the University to take full advantage of the facilities and make good use of them for the educational and vocational development of the students.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, TETFund, Arc Sunny Echono, said the Federal Government, through TETFund has made huge investments in the provision of requisite infrastructure to aid teaching, learning and research in the nation’s public tertiary institutions spread all over the country.
He said, “In Benue State, where the Fund has eight beneficiary institutions, we have invested
about N18.83 billion in provision of physical infrastructure interventions between 2011 and 2021.
“This is apart from the content-based interventions through which the Fund sponsors the capacity development of both teaching and non-teaching staff for acquisition of higher degree qualifications, as well as attendance of conferences, locally and internationally.
“TETFund as an interventionist agency, has ensured equity in the allocation of funds to the three tiers of its beneficiaries in line with the enabling laws governing the activities of the agency.”
He said the six projects were commenced in May 2019 and completed in April 2023 at a total cost of N2.18 Billion and commended BSU for ensuring quality delivery of the Projects and for sticking substantially to the terms of delivery approved by the Fund.
The Vice Chancellor of BSU, Makurdi, to Tor Joe Iorapuu, who appreciated the President for the projects said “in addition to the projects to be commissioned today, from 1999 till date, TETFund has committed a total of N9,277, 732,123 to the University for content-based intervention as well as development and upgrading of infrastructure.
“Our campus is dominated with TETFund-sponsored legacy structures. I would like to stress that TETFund has been a game changer and its interventions have impacted positively on the infrastructural and manpower development in our university,” he added.
