By Sunday Ogli, Makurdi
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned five iconic projects executed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund at the Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State.
The projects are the construction and furnishing of Academic Staff Office Building under the 2017/2020 (merged) Annual intervention, construction and furnishing of block of offices for College of Health Sciences under the 2017/2020 (merged) Annual intervention and Construction and Furnishing of Education Building Under 2014/2016 (merged) Annual intervention.
Others are the Construction of Research, Development and Innovation Centre. Under 2014/2016 (merged) Annual intervention and the construction of Health and Counselling Development Centre Under 2014/2016 (merged) Annual intervention.
The president who was represented by the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume at the commissioning ceremony said the projects were executed at the cost of N82, 612,410,000.00.
President Buhari further disclosed that TETFund also sponsored 20,332 lecturers from this University for Ph.D degrees in both foreign and local institutions totaling N153,521,887,426.41; 16,153 for Masters Degrees in both foreign and local institutions totaling N42,276,142,212.13; 92 for Postdocs totaling N951,568,084.80, 994 for Bench work totaling N 5,052,165,039.48 while 54,229.00 staff have been sponsored to attend Conferences Attendance in both foreign and local totaling-N23,199,986,710.49.
The president urged the university to take full advantage of the facilities and make good use of them for the educational and vocational development of students.
The Executive Secretary, TETFund, Arch. Sonny Echono, said the Fund has eight beneficiary institutions in Benue State where it has invested about N18.83 billion in provision of physical infrastructure interventions between 2011 and 2021.
“This is apart from the content-based interventions through which the Fund sponsors the capacity development of both teaching and non-teaching staff for acquisition of higher degree qualifications, as well as attendance of conferences, locally and internationally, ” Echono stressed.
