The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has reiterated its commitment to repositioning tertiary education in Nigeria as a driver of growth, innovation, and societal transformation.
Speaking in Ilorin on Monday at a town hall meeting with stakeholders of beneficiary institutions in the North Central zone, a member of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Engineer Nurudeen Adeyemi, vowed that the agency was determined to raise Nigerian tertiary institutions to compete with global standards.
He said since the inauguration of the Board of Trustees by President Bola Tinubu, the Fund had pursued a reform-driven policy agenda anchored on the Renewed Hope vision.
“This agenda prioritises the transformation of tertiary education as a critical engine for growth, innovation, and societal transformation,” Adeyemi said.
He noted that thousands of lecturers in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education had benefitted from sponsorships for PhD and Master’s programmes, both within and outside the country, in addition to support for teaching practice, conference participation, and professional development.
On infrastructure, Adeyemi said TETFund had continued to bridge gaps by building lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries, ICT centres, hostels, and administrative blocks, with some projects delivered through public-private partnerships.
“These infrastructural interventions are not only transforming the physical landscape of campuses but also enhancing the teaching and learning environment to meet international standards,” he added.
Explaining the rationale for the town hall meeting, Adeyemi said the gathering was designed to strengthen accountability, deepen transparency, and build trust between the agency, beneficiary institutions, and host communities.
“This is not a routine event, but a strategic platform for open dialogue and collective action,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Dr. Kamoru Kadiri, has commended the role of TETFund in sustaining tertiary education in Nigeria.
Kadiri, who spoke with journalists on the sidelines of the event, said that without TETFund’s interventions, many institutions in the country would have become “glorified schools.”
However, he appealed for more support in the provision of hostels, utility vehicles, and feeder roads for the institution.
Arewa PUNCH reports that TETFund was established in 2011 to manage, disburse, and monitor education tax collected from companies in Nigeria, currently set at 2.5 per cent of accessible profit.
The Fund has also since become the backbone of tertiary education financing, providing critical interventions in infrastructure, research, and staff development across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.
By Dare Akogun @ThePUNCH
