The Cross River State Government has solicited support from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to build an edifice to house all practical skills for its state-owned University of Education and Entrepreneurship.
Governor Bassey Otu, who made the appeal during a visit to TETFund in Abuja, stressed the importance of human capital development in confronting challenges of underdevelopment, poverty and unemployment.
He also commended the Fund, under Arch Sonny Echono’s leadership, for the country’s visible infrastructural development, noting that the state requires support for its newly converted College of Education to a University of Education and Entrepreneurship, where craftsmen, bricklayers, welders, and others will be trained.
He said, ”Nigeria has a very big problem, apart from the fact that other entities and realms have moved beyond in terms of education, Nigeria, education is one of the problems where we find ourselves, where we are today.
“You’ll agree with me that even when you visit a country as close as Ghana here to introduce Nigerian professor as a professor from Nigeria, while other professors are introduced as professors.
“And we know because in my days in school, like too many international students, even the South Africans that are very hostile to Nigerians today, all went through here with very good education.
“I think somewhere along the line, we lost it, probably in terms of priority, like they say, it is always better late than never. It is time to give, if not this our generation, some hope you give the young one coming so that can make Nigeria proud.
”Actually, the College of Education, we are upgrading it to University of education and entrepreneurship. This is going to be the first one in the country. That’s why we here soliciting for very genuine and strong support.”
In his response, Echono assured the governor of support stressing that such support is one of TETFund obligations to the states.
“On behalf of our management and especially the Board of Trustees, that we will offer support to this initiative.
“We are aware of the guidelines and the procedures and all of that for enlistment, but we are also flexible, because the board of trustees have taken the position that we must meet our obligations to states, what we refer to as equality of states, and the resources that we have must go equally to all the states of the Federation through their institutions.
“So we find creative ways of ensuring that we do that, and that is one of the reasons why we believe that we have this type of synergy. We do everything to encourage it,” he said.
