Echono: 63 Garlands To A Visionary Transforming Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Landscape

Architect Sonny Togo Echono, born on December 16, 1962, in Otukpo, Benue State, is celebrated as one of Nigeria’s most transformative public servants. With over three decades in public service, Echono’s career culminated in his appointment as the 9th Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in March 2022. His work at TETFund is seen as a national legacy, demonstrating that visionary leadership can reshape Nigeria’s educational landscape and create opportunities for future generations.
Before joining TETFund, Echono had a distinguished career in public administration. Starting as an architect with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing in 1987, he later became a pioneering procurement officer, contributing to the development of Nigeria’s modern procurement systems. His expertise spanned multiple ministries, including Defence, Water Resources, Environment, Agriculture, Communications, and Education, where he served as Permanent Secretary from 2017 to 2022. Echono was known for his innovative solutions and institutional reforms, earning a reputation as a competent and visionary leader.

Upon his appointment as TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Echono faced significant challenges in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, including infrastructural decay, diminishing research output, and inefficient scholarship programs. He quickly shifted the narrative by transforming TETFund from a conventional funding mechanism into a strategic development powerhouse. Echono introduced the paradigm of “building minds, not just buildings,” emphasizing strategic, outcome-based funding, human capital development, research competitiveness, and international partnerships.

Digital Transformation and TERAS

Echono’s most ambitious achievement has been the comprehensive digitalization of Nigeria’s tertiary education landscape. He made Information and Communication Technology (ICT) the centerpiece of his reform agenda. The Tertiary Education Research, Applications, and Services (TERAS) platform is the crown jewel of this transformation, providing cloud hosting services, learning management systems, digital libraries, software services, research applications, and mobile data access packs. This platform has revolutionized teaching, learning, and research across Nigeria’s public institutions.

Complementing TERAS, Echono established 72 specialized ICT experience centres across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, focusing on technologies like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, and software development. These centres aim to prepare Nigerian graduates for the global digital economy.

Investment in Human Capital

Echono’s commitment to human development has led to one of the largest capacity-building initiatives in Nigeria’s tertiary education history. Over 20,000 lecturers have been trained in ICT competencies through the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) certification program, and more than 2,000 scholars have received advanced training in emerging technologies through the Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education (VICBHE) program. His administration has also expanded academic training and staff development initiatives, including overseas Master’s and PhD sponsorships, local postgraduate scholarships, academic conferences, workshops, and professional certification training.

Global Partnerships and Research Excellence

Under Echono’s leadership, TETFund has achieved unprecedented internationalization through strategic collaborations with leading global universities, research institutes, and international development partners. These partnerships have created new pathways for Nigerian scholars to access foreign postgraduate scholarships, joint research programs, academic exchanges, and capacity-building opportunities. Notable collaborations include partnerships with the University of Brazil, the British government, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and various African Union initiatives.
Echono has also aggressively pushed for research development and innovation, expanding the National Research Fund, establishing sector-driven research and development clusters, and supporting STEM innovation projects. The TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research (TETFAIR), developed in partnership with Innov8 Hub, connects researchers with resources to translate ideas into innovations, solutions, and enterprises.

Echono’s leadership has led to tangible improvements across Nigeria’s tertiary education landscape. Abandoned projects have been revived, research laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, ICT infrastructure upgraded, and modern lecture halls and hostels completed. His administration has also addressed critical student challenges, including accommodation shortages, with plans to construct student hostels in 36 tertiary institutions nationwide 22 23 24.
Echono’s exceptional leadership has earned widespread recognition from national and international bodies, highlighting his visionary leadership, structural reforms, procurement discipline, investment in research and human capacity, and commitment to transparency and accountability.

Challenges and Future Vision

Echono has demonstrated remarkable transparency in addressing systemic challenges, such as the issue of TETFund-sponsored scholars absconding from overseas programs. He treated these issues as governance challenges requiring stronger structures and monitoring systems 26 27.
Looking ahead, Echono’s vision for Nigeria’s tertiary education sector includes sustaining funding stability, securing the return and retention of trained scholars, expanding industry-academia partnerships, achieving greater institutional autonomy, and deepening digital transformation. His administration has laid the foundation for these achievements through strategic planning, international partnerships, technological infrastructure, and human capacity development.

As Architect Sonny Togo Echono marks another year of transformative leadership, his work at TETFund represents more than administrative excellence—it embodies the power of visionary leadership, disciplined execution, and unwavering commitment to national development. Through his leadership, Echono has demonstrated that meaningful change is possible in Nigeria’s public sector, fundamentally altering the nation’s development trajectory through purposeful leadership and strategic vision.

– Kareem is a public policy analyst in Abuja