Inside Lafia varsity’s ‘abandoned’ TETFUND projects

Projects worth over N300 million said to have been completed at the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State to improve learning have been abandoned. Findings by Daily Trust Saturday revealed that the projects were not actually completed before they were commissioned.

It was gathered that work on the three main projects—faculties of environmental, education and administration—was undertaken by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

Contracts for the job were awarded in January 2020 at the sum of over N300m, it was learnt.

The projects were awarded during the immediate past vice chancellor of the university, Professor Sanusi Liman, to address the issue of alleged shortage of lecture rooms and create a conducive learning environment for students in the institution.

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The projects were reportedly completed and therefore, inaugurated on February 18, 2021. However, a visit to the facilities showed that the commissioning was a mere window-dressing.

A peep at the interior of the facilities showed that they were far from being completed, even as there are no indications that works are ongoing at the sites.

Since after commissioning by the out-gone executive secretary of TEFUND, Professor Suleiman Elias Bogoro, alongside Professor Liman, the buildings have been under lock and key without putting them into use for the purpose they were meant.

The projects, sponsored by TETFUND in its 2016 intervention, had a 32-week completion duration.

Daily Trust Saturday learnt that the change of the former vice chancellor, whose tenure came to an end, stalled the progress of the work, which reportedly reached 95 per cent completion.

However, our correspondent who visited the projects site at the institution observed that the contractor painted the face of the Faculty of Environmental and left the back uncompleted.

Further observation by our correspondent who went round to see the edifice showed that part of the roofing, particularly the front view of the faculty have broken down.

At the Faculty of Education, some of the air conditioners that were fixed in the building were stolen, even as the building is now a shadow of its former self with overgrown grasses.

A top official from the school, who pleaded anonymity, said the reason most of the air conditioners were stolen was because no security was attached to the building to look after the property, adding that the major issue was that it had not been converted into use because the building is yet to be completed.

The story was not different at the Faculty of Administration as some of the air conditioners were stolen from the building by suspected thieves who were said to have taken advantage of the lack of security.

As at the time our correspondent visited the projects site, neither engineers nor workers were seen, amid claim by the school authorities that they didn’t have abandoned projects in the institution but ongoing ones.

Our correspondent further observed that the front view of the Faculty of Environmental were cleared halfway, leaving the back view like a forest as some of the air conditioners have been stolen. The three faculties were built behind the Adamu Adamu Lecture Hall, few meters away from the school gate.

Our correspondent observed that the three faculties were painted in yellow colours.

Commenting on the uncompleted projects, the public relations officer of the university, Abubakar Ibrahim, who spoke on behalf of the vice chancellor, Professor Shehu Abdur-Rahman, said that as far as the Federal University, Lafia was concerned, there were no TETFUND abandoned projects. He said all the projects had been completed and since commissioned by Prof Bogoro, alongside the immediate past vice chancellor, Liman.

On the allegation that students of the institution squat while receiving lectures because of shortage of lecture theatres, he said there was no such situation in the university since its establishment in 2010.

However, the personal secretary to the vice chancellor, Isah Kabiru, confirmed to our correspondent that the lecture theatre attached to the Faculty of Environmental was yet to be completed, adding the management of the school was looking for funds.

He said, “Those projects are ongoing and we are not complaining. I am speaking the mind of the vice chancellor. The faculties have not been moved to their permanent sites. The lecture theatre attached to the Faculty of Environmental is yet to be completed, and soon as the management of the institution gets funds, the project will be completed.”

When contacted on the matter, Professor Liman said it was about two years since he left office, so he didn’t know the true position of the projects.

Also contacted for comment, the consultant of the project, Mr Solomon Dare, said he would not speak to our correspondent unless he got clearance from the vice chancellor.

“We have been on the projects before the COVID-19 pandemic,” he simply said.

On his part, Mr Obida Yusuf, who is the head of physical planning, insisted that as far as TETFUND projects were concerned, there were no abandoned projects in the university.

“This is to inform you that the Federal University, Lafia has no abandoned TETFUND projects,” he said.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on how students have been coping with the situation, a 300-level student in the Theatre and Media Art Department, who did not want his name mentioned, said it was stressful to squat and receive lectures. He called on the federal government, TETFUND and the management of the institution to find a solution to their challenges.

Also pleading anonymity, a 100-level Computer Science student said that because of the situation, lectures would sometimes not hold as teachers would be frustrated as well.

He said, “I always feel very sad each time we merge with students from other departments to have lectures. I don’t usually learn well as expected.”

He appealed to the school management and TETFUND to do their best to complete the projects and build more halls for students, adding that the situation is affecting their studies.