Fourteen new public tertiary institutions in Nigeria have been enlisted as beneficiaries of the interventions of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which brings the total number of beneficiaries to 216.
A statement by Mr Benn Ebikwo Director, Public Affairs, TETFund in Abuja on Tuesday, noted that the enlistment was announced during a brief ceremony by the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr Abdullahi Baffa.
Baffa said the approval was granted to 14 qualified institutions out of the numerous request received by the TETFund Board of Trustees.
He advised the newly enlisted institutions on the need to adhere to the operational guidelines of TETFund as well as ensure transparency in their implementations of the various intervention lines.
Baffa said at the brief ceremony held in order for the management of the Fund to meet directly with the heads of the institutions and acquaint them with the operations of the Fund and modalities for accessing its various interventions.
While congratulating the management of the newly enlisted institutions on behalf of the Board of Trustees and management of the Fund, Baffa described the event as historic considering the fact that the fund was admitting into its fold.
The Executive Secretary, therefore, took the heads of the institutions through the workings of the Fund and its various intervention lines.
He urged them to familiarise themselves with the TETFund Establishment Act and the various guidelines set out for all the intervention lines.
He also presented letters of enlistment to the heads of the 14 new institutions and stated that they would begin to benefit from the Fund’s interventions with effect from 2019.
Expressing appreciation on behalf of the newly enlisted institutions, Vice-Chancellor, First Technical University, Ibadan, Prof. Ayobami Salami thanked the Board of Trustees and management of TETFund for finding them worthy of enlistment and promised to be worthy partners in their relationships with the Fund.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that enlistment as a beneficiary of TETFund is the approval given for any public tertiary university, polytechnic and college of education to receive annual funding from TETFund.
This is, however, for the development of critical infrastructure for teaching and learning, provision of instructional materials, training of academic staff among other interventions of the Fund.
Among the institutions enlisted are First Technical University, Ibadan; College of Education, Lanlate; Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, Oyo State; University of Medical Sciences, Ondo; Gombe State College of Education, Billiri; Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State and Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa.
Others are Gateway Polytechnic, Saapade; Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna State; College of Education, Kangere; Bilyamunu Usman Polytechnic, Hadejia; Federal Polytechnic, Ukana; Federal Polytechnic, Ile Oluji and Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo.