Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has urged Nigerian universities to explore other means of generating revenue rather than depending on government allocation. Echono spoke yesterday, at the commissioning of TeTfunf projects at the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University of Agriculture, Makurdi.

The TETFund boss advised that institutions like JOSTUM, with large arable parcels of land, could utilise the same to the benefit of the school and the society to create jobs and enhance revenue to meet running costs.

“This is a direct and personal initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He specifically mandated us to begin to prepare our universities to become self-reliant.”

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, disclosed that the projects that were commissioned were the 2024 projects. The minister, who was represented by the Director of University Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Rakiya Gambo, promised that the TETFund projects for 2025 would deploy for the improvement and rehabilitation of school structures like student hostels, toilets and general sanitation.

The Vice Chancellor of JoSTUM, Prof Isaac Itodo, said the university was building a structure for every programme in line with international best practices.
The Minister, Dr Maruf Alausa, commissioned the Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication building (Year 2024 Annual Intervention). He also inspected work on the construction of a 500-capacity lecture theatre sponsored by TetFund, while Echono commissioned the Department of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering building (Year 2023 Annual Intervention).