The Abiola Ajimobi Technical University (Tech-U), Ibadan, Oyo State, has secured a N1.3 billion intervention from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for the construction of a new staff office building to address inadequate office accommodation for academic staff.

The facility was formally handed over to the university at a ceremony on Saturday attended by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adesola Ajayi; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Caleb Aborisade; Registrar, Mrs. Omolola Olanrewaju; and other officials of the institution.

The building comprises three categories of offices, including 10 professorial offices with spaces for research assistants, 10 en-suite single professorial offices and 14 offices designated for other senior lecturers.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Prof. Ajayi described the completion of the project as a significant milestone for the university, noting that inadequate office accommodation had been a challenge since its inception.

He said the project was significant because TETFund had directed institutions that had benefited from its interventions for more than five years to deploy subsequent allocations to the maintenance of existing facilities rather than new construction.

According to him, Tech-U was able to secure approval for the N1.3 billion intervention for the construction of the staff office building, making it one of the few institutions in that category to receive such approval.

“The university has identified staff office accommodation as one of its most pressing needs. Several spaces previously being used as offices were not originally designed for that purpose,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor expressed optimism about the future of the institution, saying the university would seek additional TETFund interventions to address its infrastructure needs.

He also appealed to the contractor to support the university through its Corporate Social Responsibility by assisting with the connection of the new facility to electricity.

The VC lauded the consultant, APD Associates; the contractor, Kadex Express Limited; the university’s maintenance team and other stakeholders for their contributions to the successful completion of the project.

The consultant, Abdulateef Majolagbe of APD Associates, commended the university management for its cooperation and proactive approach throughout the construction process.