TETFund Spends N7bn On Projects In Benue Varsity

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has committed over N7 billion to its various intervention projects in Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, from 1999 to date.

The chairman of the governing council and pro-chancellor of the university, Sebastine Hon, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday, when he led management of the institution on a courtesy visit to the executive secretary of TETFund, Mr Sonny Echono.

Hon, who congratulated Echono on his appointment as TETFund boss, commended President Muhammadu Buhari over his choice, even as he described the executive secretary as “one of our illustrious alumni, having graduated with a degree in MBA in  Management from our university.”

He expressed delight over the various TETFund projects that now dotted the university’s campus, the pro-chancellor appealed for the speedy completion of other ongoing projects.

“We are here to also acknowledge and express the profound appreciation of the Visitor, the Council, Management, Staff and Students for the support both in terms of content-base Interventions and Infrastructure BSU has benefitted from TETFund from 1999 till now.

“Our campus is dominated with TETFund-sponsored legacy structures including the central library, laboratories, lecture theatres, faculty buildings, student social centre, and entrepreneurship development centre, not excluding research (IBR, NRF, ARJ, AMB), academic training and conferences (foreign and local), post-doctoral, Bench work and developments in ICT.

“In all, the university has received about seven billion Naira (N7,000,000,000.00) in intervention from TETFund between 1999 and now.

Speaking further, the pro-chancellor called for a waiver to access the 2021/2022 TETFund’s allocations to enable the university address its challenges as well as special intervention on the institution’s library that was recently touched by heavy storm.

“We have a very small campus, and we desire to expand in terms of content-base and infrastructure. Our university has commenced appreciable steps with NUC to commence the following programmes: Architecture, Pharmacy, Engineering, and Building Engineering.

“Therefore, and further to the level of completion of the above listed projects, we hereby appeal to you to grant us a waiver to allow the university to access the 2021 and 2022 annual allocations to enable us to proceed with the projects tied to those allocations.