Pres. Tinubu Inaugurates TETFund projects worth about 1 billion at ATBU, ATAP Bauchi.
Pres. Tinubu Inaugurates TETFund projects worth about 1 billion at ATBU, ATAP Bauchi.
By Abubakar Baba Ahmad.
The Federal Government says it will continue to provide the necessary funding for tertiary institutions towards making them globally competitive particularly in the areas of research and innovation.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated this at separate inaugural events of multi million naira building blocks, lecture halls and hostel at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University ATBU and Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic ATAP built by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund TETFund in Bauchi.
Bola Tinubu represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar said the introduction of Students' Loan Scheme, waiver of no-work no-pay order on Universities Academic staff, upward review of Education Tax from 2.5 to 3 percent were initiated by his administration to improve academic activities in public tertiary institutions.
"The upward review of Education tax took effect from September, 2023. This will in no small measure contribute more to the improved funding of the education sector and development of our public tertiary institutions," he explains.
He charged all TETFund beneficiary institutions across the federation to take full advantage of the facilities being provided for the educational and vocational development of students and also ensure periodic maintenance.
"As we dedicate these structures to the Glory of God and Humanity, I wish to admonish all the beneficiary institutions to take full advantage of these facilities and make hood use of them for the educational and vocational development of our students," Tinubu appeals.
The President highlighted some of the projects executed at both institutions to include 3 departmental buildings, classrooms and laboratories as well as 500, 300 seater examination halls and students' hostel at a cumulative amount of over 873 million naira.
Other interventions according to President Tinubu were sponsorship of 240 PhD candidates, 13 MSc, Conferences and other researches at ATBU worth over 1.7 billion as well as 97 PhD candidates, 172 MSc students and 472 staff for conferences from ATAP at over 1.2 billion naira.
On his part, the Executive Secretary TETFund Architect Sonny Echono represented by the Director Research and Development Dr Salihu Bakari who said the inauguration of such projects is a clear success in the realisation of its objectives, promised continued effort in delivering the fund's mandate.
"The fund has ensured equity in the allocation of funds to the three tiers of its beneficiaries in line with enabling laws governing the activities of the agency," Echono reassures.
The Governor of Bauchi State Bala Muhammad represented by the Commissioner of Higher Education Madam Lydia Tsammani who appreciated the Federal Government for its continued intervention, noted that his administration declared a state of emergency on education due to the importance placed on the sector.
In a remark, the Vice ATBU Bauchi Professor Muhammad Ahmad Abdul'azeez acknowledged the indelible footprint of TETFund in the nation's tertiary institutions, adding that the university is working to establish faculty of computing to align itself with the current global transition to artificial intelligence.
On his part, the Acting Rector ATAP Dr Hashim Bello said TETFund interventions to the polytechnic have raised enrolment by over 200 percent, and called for support in the areas of construction of sports complex, control of gully erosion and provision of hydro/solar electricity.
"The intervention in the areas of AST&D, Conferences, Manuscripts and Book Development, Institutional Based Research, equipment fabrication, procurement of equipment and the construction of physical structures have enabled us to upgrade our human and material resources to quality for the accreditation of courses at the polytechnic," Dr Hashim notes.
Highlights of the occasion include official opening and inspection of the facilities, goodwill messages from critical stakeholders and presentation of plaques to deserving personalities among others.
