Buhari unveils NDA TETFund facilities worth billions of naira.
Mr. Godwin Isenyo
The President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has unveiled Tertiary Education Trust Fund-sponsored annual intervention projects at Nigeria Defence Academy, Nigerian Airforce of Technology, Kaduna Polytechnic, and Kaduna State University.
The President, who was represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, stated that the projects at NDA consumed over N685 million, AFIT consumed over N604 million, KASU consumed over N491 million, and Kaduna Polytechnic consumed over N450 million for the 2020/2021 annual intervention and merged projects.
A Computer Based Test Hall, Faculty of Management, and Military Science buildings were inaugurated at NDA, as were AFIT, Department of Cyber Security, Students’ Hostel of the 2020 Zonal Intervention, and Students’ Hostel of the 2021 Zonal Intervention.
Among the commission projects at The Kaduna Polytechnic are the newly constructed Department of Railway Engineering, Classrooms for Chemical Engineering, and a High-Grade Oxygen Plant for Medicals.
Senator Wamakko emphasized the importance of education in the development of the country in his remarks shortly after the project’s launch, adding that the projects’ completion would significantly improve teaching and learning in the country.
According to him, education is a priority for President Buhari’s administration.
“Education, as we all know, plays a critical role in the socioeconomic development of nations, and thus the commissioning of these projects today would in no small measure further enhance teaching and learning and academic standards,” he said.
“I wish to reiterate that education forms an integral part of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s agenda, hence the Federal Government would continue to provide necessary support towards making our educational institutions globally competitive for the economic and technological development of the country.
“It is on record 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.
“I am glad to see that the Airforce Institute of Technology, Kaduna, and other public tertiary educational institutions in Kaduna State have not been exempted from the TETFund’s intervention efforts.”
Earlier, the NDA Commandant, Major General Ibrahim Yusuf, stated that the NDA had received over N8.2 billion in TETFund support over the last seven years.
He explained that approximately N6 billion of the funds were spent on infrastructure development, while the remaining N2.2 billion was spent on training, research and publication, library, and ICT, among other things.
He also stated that the NDA currently has nine ongoing TETFund projects from the merged funds for interventions from 2019 to 2022.
Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of TETFund, also spoke, stating that the event marked the beginning of a major TETFund activity in 2023.
Echono, represented by Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Olatunde Olajide, stated that in 2023, 162 iconic TETFund projects in 54 tertiary institutions across 28 states would be inaugurated.
According to him, TETFund’s funding of the projects demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to providing necessary physical infrastructure in the nation’s public tertiary institutions.
“It is our commitment at TETFund to ensure that value is obtained for funds allocated to benefiting institutions to aid teaching, learning, and research, and thus make them globally competitive,” he stated.
Echono then praised NDA officials for successfully completing the three projects, as well as other notable ones being carried out in the Academy with TETFund assistance.
