TETFund to disburse N292bn research grant to select public tertiary institutions

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) will disburse a sum of N292.66 billion to select public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.

According to the 2021 disbursement plans, TETFund will give N906 million to one university each from the six geo-political zones, while N628 million will go to one polytechnic and one college of education from each of the six geo-political zones.

The Executive Secretary, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, who revealed this in Abuja on Thursday at a one-day stakeholders meeting, said the responsibility of completing the National Library Project in Abuja has also been bestowed on TETFund.

According to him, the library project represents an important national asset that shouldn’t be ignored on account of funding challenges.

Bogoro also stressed the importance of research to national development, saying the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been consistent in approving funds to see that academics churn out quality research that would address emerging challenges bedeviling the country.

He said this accounted for the setting up of the National Research Foundation which has consistently increased from N3 billion to N8.5 billion in recent times.

Bogoro, who expressed delight that Nigeria is moving closer to an emergence of a National Research and Development Foundation, challenged academics in the country to turn around the fortunes of the country through cutting-edge research.

“Let us apply our innovative research outcome to solve the security problem, let us bring back value addition to the solid minerals that we are blessed with, it is one goal we have not explored to any significant level,” he said.

On the 2021 research grants to lecturers, Bogoro called on the nation’s academics to live up to expectations by churning out good proposals, saying that the Fund is always ready to finance such academic exercise.

“I have signed the letters of allocation for the research grants that we are issuing out, 217. This is the highest research grant ever. It has never gone beyond 200. We have 217 research grants that have recently been approved,” Bogoro said.

Speaking on the recent special allocations by the TETFund’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Bogoro revealed that N5 billion each was approved for University of Lagos (UniLag) and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, for massive infrastructural projects’ development.

The TETFund boss said N1 billion was also approved for the fencing of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and another N1 billion for Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, adding that more tertiary institutions would benefit from the special allocations in not too distant time.

Bogoro said TETFund is also providing support to boost research activities in Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), among others, to address the nation’s security challenges.

On TETFund’s intervention in the health sector, he stated that the Fund has provided N1 billion to one university in the six geo-political zones for medical research as well as providing facilities for treatment of major ailments like prostate cancer and kidney problems, among others.

“With the urology and kidney facilities made available, we are expecting a number of our teaching hospitals to come up with the capacity granted the equipment we provided, they should be able to do kidney transplant etc, in our universities.

“We intend to continue strengthening some in terms of cancer facilities, urology research clinical facilities and heart facilities,” he said.

The forum also provided Bogoro an opportunity to explain that the Board of TETFund has approved the review of course sponsorship abroad.

According to him, more emphasis would now be placed on masters or PhD programmes that are science based.

Among the overseas masters and PhD courses specializations with effect from August 2021 include: Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Biosciences, Biomedical Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, Industrial Systems and Engineering, Geosciences, Behavioural Sciences, Nuclear Engineering, Oceanography, Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering, among others.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of allocation letters to the beneficiary institutions.