FG Commissions TetFund projects at Benue Varsity

… Approves N10 billion for 10 universities in 2025 intervention year

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, on Thursday, commissioned Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund) projects at the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi (JOSTUM) in Benue state.

The commissioning was part of activities marking the institution’s 26th and 31st combined Convocation ceremonies.

The Minister who was represented by Director of University Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs. Rakiya Ilyasu, described the projects in the university as quite impressive saying “I have used that to judge the management and that is to say that they are doing very well because it is not all managements that can bring up these types of structures within a short time.”

Alausa who commissioned the Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication building (year 2024 annual intervention) applauded the school management led by Prof. Isaac Itodo adding that If all goes well like this, in the next 10 to 15 years, “our universities would be transformed into what we will all be proud of.

“I want to agree with the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono that the 2025 intervention would also be deployed to improve and rehabilitate all the school structures especially the hostels and the toilets because sanitation is one of the best things we can give to students.

“When the environment is clean and neat every other thing is secondary. Hopefully the government has accepted that we are going to rehabilitate all that, and I believe that the management would do the needful to ensure that it is done.”

Speaking earlier, Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono who commissioned the Department of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering building, a year 2023 annual intervention, said the federal government has approved the sum of N10 billion for 10 universities to help them go into commercial agriculture and also contribute to the nations food security.

Echono stated that President Bola Tinubu had specifically mandated that all universities should be prepared to become self reliant.

“He directed that they should explore other avenues of generating revenue other than depending solely on government budgets and allocations. And one of the examples he gave us was that many universities have large parcels of land, and JOSTUM is a very good example of such.

“He said the land can be used for commercial agriculture that will service not only their students but the community and can also help them earn some revenue from it which would be helpful to cushion the huge costs they incur even in maintaining their facilities.

“So in this year’s intervention, we made approval for about 10 universities and N10 billion was provided and we will be picking 10 different universities. So having seen what I saw here and this being a university of Agriculture, I believe that JOSTUM will be one of them.”

Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi, Prof. Isaac Itodo said the quantum of projects in the school signifies that they are utilizing TetFund monies judiciously

He said the rate of development in the institution lies squarely on the management of the University explaining that while bifurcating and unbundling programmes, the institution needs commensurate infrastructure.

He commended the federal government through TetFund for ensuring that the university is on its way to being infrastructurally satisfied.

Daily Sun