Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, has announced that the fund is set to disburse a total of N18 billion to six public universities under its Special High Impact Intervention.
Echono during a briefing in Abuja on Thursday, gave the breakdown on the 2023 Intervention Budget of N320 billion, recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said N3 billion will be given to six selected varsities, N1billion each to six polytechnics and six colleges of education across the country, while over 95 per cent of the N320 billion total TETFund’s disbursement of 2023 would go directly to beneficiary tertiary institutions.
Echono said the remaining five per cent of the allocation would be used for staff salaries and allowances, project monitoring and zonal capital projects.
FACT CHECK: Did INEC chairman work under Wike as TETFUND Secretary?
Nigerian researchers to participate in EU funding programme – TETFund
According to him, 62 per cent of the total disbursement (representing N198 billion) constituted the institutions’ annual direct disbursement, while 20 per cent of the disbursement (representing N64.2 billion) would be used for special disbursement.
The Special Intervention is usually at the discretion of the Board of Trustees for which allocations are zonal-based and are done equitably by the decision of the Board as enshrined in the enabling Act.
The Special High Impact Intervention, according to Echono seeks to massively inject funds into selected tertiary institutions to achieve a major turnaround through Programme Upgrade and Improvement in the teaching and learning Environment.
Hr noted that beneficiaries are also selected based on the age of the institution per geo-political zones of Nigeria among other criteria.
He said the special impact will be given to Ibrahim Babangida University Lapai, Federal University Wukali in Taraba state, Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Imo state university of agriculture and environmental sciences, Edo state university and Federal university of technology Akure, Ondo state.
The beneficiary polytechnics are; “Federal Polytechnics Offa, Federal Polytechnic Gombe, Federal Polytechnic Kabo, Kano state, Anambra State Polytechnic, Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny and Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora.
And for CoEs , they include Plateau State COE, Federal COE,Yola, Federal COE, Zaria, Enugu State COE, Delta State COE and Taiye Solarin COE
He said the other area of intervention for the special intervention is students hostels.
“Many of you have seeing deplorable accommodations our students live in. For a number of years now we commence these interventions and we will encourage schools because we believe the hostels are one of the areas where private sector funding can be attracted,” he said.
“Last year we released intervention in 20 institutions and the hostels have been completed. Another 20 institutions are ready this year, that is one of the importance of the special impact project.”
He said there was need to implement projects in institutions within security prone areas to enhance the security of the students and teachers.
Speaking on other intervention lines, Echono also noted that N500 million had been allocated to some selected COE from the six geopolitical zones for micro teaching laboratory.
