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President Bola Tinubu and the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru yesterday inaugurated three newly constructed Tertiary Education TrustFund projects in the state university (EBSU), The Eastern Updates reports.
The projects are; ICT complex (2012-2015) merged annual intervention, Faculty of Education (2016-2019) merged annual intervention and Library Complex (2012-2015) merged annual intervention.
Inaugurating the three projects which were all sited at the Permanent Site of the university in Ezamgbo, Ohaukwu local government area of the state, President Tinubu, who was represented by Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, said education plays a critical role in the socio-economic development of nations.
He noted that the inauguration of the three projects in the school would in no small measure further enhance teaching and learning and improvement of academic standards in the university.
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‘You would recall that in recognition of the role of TETFund in the development of public tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria, and in a bid to further support and strengthen the intervention activities of the Fund, the President also approved the implementation of the upward review of Education Tax (EDT), to 3 per cent with 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.
‘It is on record that over the years, TETFund through the support of the Federal Government 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’, he stated.
In his remarks, Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny S.T. Echono disclosed that TETFund’s interventions to the University commenced in 1999 and ever since, the university has given a good account of itself in the utilisation of the project funds to address necessary infrastructural needs that will aid teaching, learning and research.
‘From when it was enlisted as a beneficiary, the university has enjoyed allocations up to a total of N10,856,271,476.67 for infrastructure-related interventions cutting across the Annual Special High Impact, and Zonal interventions amongst others.
‘The statistics reveal that about 88.24% of these funds have been accessed and deployed to address infrastructural deficiencies in the university. We do not doubt that the projects undertaken with these funds have remarkably impacted the mandate of the university in facilitating teaching, learning, and research.
‘The three projects to be commissioned today, are those executed under the years 2011-2015(Merged) annual and 2016-2019 (Merged) annual interventions the total cost of which amount to N1,551,746,734.20, all delivered successfully in line with the TETFund guidelines.
‘We are optimistic that these projects will strengthen the efforts of the university to become a global player in the tertiary education sub-sector and significantly contribute to research and development. I salute the doggedness of the management and urge you to maintain focus and ensure consistency in realising the mandate of the university.
‘Our resolve as a Fund is to ensure that our interventions are sustained and improved upon as much as possible to enable our institutions to undertake bigger, and more laudable and impactful projects that will make them become globally competitive and situate them in enviable positions among their peers both nationally and globally.
‘We shall continually engage with our beneficiary institutions towards ensuring the delivery of iconic and impactful intervention projects in subsequent intervention years.
‘It is therefore commendable that despite the challenges, the projects were delivered, notwithstanding the debilitating extenuating circumstances. We, therefore, urge the University to please ensure that these facilities are well maintained and cared for to avoid early dilapidation’, he stated.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, while commending TETfund for the projects in the University, observed that the school has recorded a high level of development in the past few months.
He noted that he has critically analysed the three TETfunds projects and discovered that the reasons for constructing them were enormous.
He lamented that universities in the country were producing graduates who had nothing to offer to society because of the courses that are being offered in the universities that are not needed today.
