SEEFOR offers N81m grants to 3 Delta technical colleges

Mr Benson Ojoko, Delta Coordinator, State Employment and Expenditure for Results Projects (SEEFOR), said on Sunday that the project offered N81 million grants to three technical colleges in the state.

Ojoko, who made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, said that the colleges received the grants during the 2014/2015 academic session.

He said that Utagba-Ogbe, Ogor and Isele-Uku technical colleges received N27million grant each, under the second phase of the World BanK/EU-sponsored SEEFOR’s Technical, Vocational and Agricultural Training Sub-Component programme.

Ojoko said that six technical colleges in the state were beneficiaries of the programme, adding that the state government was funding the remaining three under the counterpart funding arrangement of the project.

“Projects in Agbor, Ofagbe and Sapele technical colleges presently funded by the state government would be reviewed to avoid duplication.

“We are reviewing the improvement plan of the three schools and once the review process is completed their grants would be given to them,’’ he said.

The coordinator said that the grants were mainly for the acquisition of instructional materials.

Ojoko said the financial aids were also meant for the rehabilitation of the colleges as well as procurement of information and communication technology equipment.

“Part of the grants will also be used for the provision of starter pack for graduates of the colleges,’’ he added.

He said the objective of the programme was to help youths to be self-employed and added that enrolment into the colleges had tremendously increased in the last one year.

Ojoko also said that the environment of the colleges was now conducive for learning and that had resulted to the increase in the number of their students.