How TETFund Is Seeding Centres Of Excellence Across Nigeria

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has continued to expand its intervention in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector through the establishment of Centres of Excellence across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

One of the latest milestones in this effort is the laying of the foundation stone for the TETFund Centre of Excellence in Public Governance and Leadership and Conference Facility for the Abuja Leadership Centre at the University of Abuja.

The foundation stone was laid by the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Architect Sonny Echono, during a brief ceremony held in Abuja.

The project is designed to serve as a national hub for leadership training, policy dialogue and governance studies.

LEADERSHIP report that TETFund’s Centres of Excellence initiative dates back to 2020. In that year, the Fund allocated twelve Centres of Excellence to public universities across Nigeria. The allocation was formally conducted at the TETFund headquarters in Abuja and targeted national priority areas in research and development.

The first set of Centres of Excellence in universities included the University of Abuja’s Centre of Excellence in Public Governance and Leadership; Centres of Excellence in Food Security at the University of Jos and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; and the Centre of Excellence in Arid Zone Research and Development at the University of Maiduguri.

Other centres allocated in 2020 include the Centre of Excellence in Root Crop Research and Development at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; the Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Engineering and Translational Studies at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; and the Centre of Excellence in Renewable Energy at Bayero University, Kano.

Also included were the Centre of Excellence in Urology and Nephrology at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto; the Centre of Excellence in Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management at the University of Lagos; the Centre of Excellence in Multi-Disciplinary Studies at the University of Ibadan; the Centre of Excellence in Computational Intelligence at the University of Uyo; and the Centre of Excellence in Aquaculture and Food Technology at the University of Benin.

In 2021, TETFund expanded the initiative by approving an additional twelve Centres of Excellence in selected polytechnics and colleges of education, bringing the total number to twenty-four.

These institutions include Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa; Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi; Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna; Federal Polytechnic, Nekede; Federal Polytechnic, Auchi; and Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.

Colleges of education included in the 2021 allocation are the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, which hosts the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in Primary and Early Childhood Education; Federal College of Education, Yola; Federal College of Education, Zaria, which houses a Technology Enhanced Learning Centre; Alvan Federal College of Education, Owerri; Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku; and Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo.

In several cases, the specific focus areas of the centres were determined by the institutions based on their strengths and needs.

According to TETFund, the Centres of Excellence are designed to strengthen research and development, improve teaching quality and promote applied research with practical and industrial relevance.

The centres are also expected to produce skilled manpower for critical sectors of the Nigerian economy and encourage collaboration among institutions, industries and policymakers.

Speaking at the event, Echono said the significance of the project might not be fully appreciated immediately, but would become clearer in the coming years when the facility is completed and operational.

According to him, the centre is expected to become a modern facility that will host activities related to leadership development in Nigeria.

He described leadership as one of the most critical factors in national development, noting that countries rise or decline based on the quality of leadership they produce.

He also said that leadership is not limited to individuals in high offices, but cuts across all levels of society, where people take responsibility for tasks and duties, noting that when these collective efforts are properly coordinated, a nation can effectively deploy its human, intellectual and material resources towards development.

Echono expressed the expectation that the Abuja Leadership Centre would become a reference point for leadership activities in the country.

He said the centre was deliberately located in the Federal Capital Territory to give it national visibility and relevance. When completed, the facility is expected to support leadership training across different sectors of the economy and host conferences, conventions and high-level engagements.

He further assured stakeholders that TETFund would provide the necessary funding not only for the construction of the centre but also for its furnishing and equipment. The aim, he said, is to deliver a world-class facility comparable to similar centres globally, capable of hosting visiting heads of state and international delegations.

He said; “We will continue to work together to achieve the aspirations of the founding fathers of that university, as a university that also by its name will project national unity, national integration, and will be a leading university, particularly one in the area of leadership and governance that every aspect of our country and our continent will look up to.

“I thank you for the honor of being here to perform this ceremony, and I want to join the media to continue to support the university, to project the positive developments that are taking place.”

The Executive Secretary urged the contractors handling the project to ensure quality delivery in line with international standards, thanking the management of the University of Abuja for its cooperation and leadership, noting that TETFund would continue to work closely with the institution to achieve its mandate.

Echono further revealed that the Abuja Leadership Centre project is part of a wider national intervention programme by TETFund.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, described the foundation stone-laying ceremony as a significant moment for the institution.

He commended d TETFund and its Executive Secretary for the consistent support the university has received over the years.

Fawehinmi said the Abuja Leadership Centre has been designated as a Centre of Excellence in Public Governance and Leadership, with a mandate to train future leaders who will contribute to national policy and development.

He noted that the centre is expected to play a key role in building leadership capacity within and outside the university system.

The Vice-Chancellor commended Echono for his leadership of TETFund, stating that under his tenure, the Fund has made notable contributions to tertiary education development.

He listed areas such as physical infrastructure, staff development, libraries and learning facilities as sectors that have benefited from TETFund interventions.

He also expressed confidence that TETFund would ensure the timely completion and proper furnishing of the Abuja Leadership Centre so that it can be put to immediate use. He also assured that the university would utilise the facility strictly for the purposes for which it is intended.