President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the Tertiary Education Trust Fund ( TETFund ) to continue to offer meaningful and purposeful interventions to all public owned tertiary institutions in the country.
The president said this would help his administration to create a knowledge based economy in the country.
Buhari, according to a statement from TETFund, spoke at the 2nd and 3rd Combined Convocation of Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State. The institution graduated a total of 837 students while 42 bagged first class degree.
The president, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Abubakar Rasheed, described the interventions of the agency as the catalyst for achieving the desired knowledge-based economy for Nigeria.
He said: “I am also happy with the special role of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in the physical and academic development of this young university. It is clear, that since the establishment of the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma. TETFund has remained the single, largest development agent in the institution.
“I urge the TETFund to continue to offer meaningful and purposeful interventions in Nigeria’s higher education institutions to help in realizing our government’s desire to create a knowledge based economy in Nigeria.”
He expressed delight over the completion and commissioning of multi-billion naira physical infrastructure projects sponsored by TETFund at the University.
He explained that the physical projects ranging from Senate Building, Buildings for Faculties of Agriculture and Science, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Complex, Library building, Faculty of Agriculture Laboratories, Students’ Hall of Residence (Hostels) for Male and Female which were commissioned by the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa as part of the convocation ceremony was clear indication of the resolve of his administration to tackle the problem of access to tertiary education in the country.
Buhari promised that he would continue to fight the challenge of unemployment, particularly graduate unemployment through the creation of a thriving and dynamic labour market that would enable young people achieve their full potentials as self-employed entrepreneurs and employers of labour rather than merely job seekers.
“I want to challenge all Nigerian Universities to come out of their shell to build constructive linkages and collaborations with the industrial sector of the society. This remains the vibrant way we can enhance the socio-economic and technological transformation of our society.
“Government on its part will continue to give maximum support to University Education despite dwindling resources available to it. However, all Universities should seriously consider more efficient ways of resource mobilization and also find ways of attracting funding for research from across the world,” he said.
Dr. Baffa, in his remarks, said the agency would continue to pursue interventions that would meet the desires of the Federal Government under the direction of the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.
He explained that provision of infrastructure for conducive teaching and learning activities were aimed at ensuring that the dream of increased access to quality higher education for all Nigerians by the minister became a reality.
The university since inception have benefitted about N5billion as Special Intervention for Take-Off Grant, Proto-type Hostels, Academic Buildings etc.
NAN
