Ogun sets up Tertiary Education Trust Fund

From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

The Ogun State government has disclosed that it has set up a Tertiary Education Trust Fund to address infrastructure deficit in the state-owned tertiary institutions.

Governor Dapo Abiodun gave this disclosure at the official inauguration of a 1,000-seat hall at the Ogun State College of Health Technology (OSCOTECH) in Ilese-Ijebu.

The hall was built and donated by a legal luminary and prominent indigene of Ilese Ijebu, Kunle Kalejaye (SAN) in honour of his sister, Mrs. Adetumbi Adebanjo, to commemorate her 72nd birthday.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, expressed worry over the deplorable state of infrastructure in tertiary institutions in the state, assuring of his administration’s commitment to restoring the lost glory of education sector in Ogun. He said his administration had set aside N200m from the Trust Fund for infrastructural development in tertiary institutions.

This is even as he disclosed that he had ordered the payment of bursary awards to indigenes of the state in tertiary institutions across the country after 11 years.

His words: “For the first in the history of the state, this administration has introduced what we call the Ogun State Tertiary Education Fund which is like a local TETFund for infrastructural development in the tertiary institutions in Ogun State.

“There are some of the tertiary institutions in the state that ordinarily get annual TETFund funding from the Federal government but for those that are not on that platform, Ogun State government has set aside N200m to be given to these institutions on an annual basis.

Abiodun commended the donor for contributing to the development of education in the state and called on corporate bodies and individuals to emulate his gesture.