Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has extolled the foresight for the establishment of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), noting that the Fund has played a significant role in the development of the state-owned tertiary educational institutions as well as federal institutions located in the state.
Governor Mutfwang made this assertion when he paid a courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny S.T. Echono in January at his office in Abuja.
While noting that tertiary education in the country would have been in a sorry state but for the founding of TETFund, the Governor affirmed that Plateau State owned institutions have been great beneficiaries of the Fund.
He stated that the purpose of the visit to TETFund, which was his first to any federal parastatal since confirmation as Governor by the Supreme Court, was to express appreciation to the Management of the Fund for the tremendous support that has been provided the institutions and also seek increased funding for further educational development in the state.
“This is the first federal parastatal I will be visiting after being confirmed as Governor and I am delighted to once again have the freedom to face the issue of governance headlong.
“I chose to come to TETFund because of the importance of this institution to our educational development. I salute the foresight of those that came up with this institution. We say thank you,” he said.
Just as he requested for further support from the Fund, the Governor noted that his administration had also done a little within the seven months of its inauguration to ensure it secured accreditation for its institutions and boost staff morale; while it hoped to do more.
In his remarks during the visit, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono congratulated Governor Mutfwang on his electoral victory at the Supreme Court.
Arc. Echono expressed commitment towards partnering with Plateau State in realizing its vision of transforming education, revealing that the Fund has recorded improvements in project delivery in Beneficiary Institutions in the state.
He further stated that the Fund was poised to boost its interventions in Plateau higher institutions, to ensure that given the State’s prominent status in the North-Central Zone, it continues to support the manpower needs of the country.
Speaking on research, the Executive Secretary revealed that Beneficiary Institutions in Plateau State showed great potentials by being part of winners of the 2023 TETFund National Research Fund (NRF) Grant of over N5.1 billion approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in January 2024.
Accordingly, he advised that being a state exceedingly wealthy in natural and agricultural resources, carrying out research tailored towards agricultural products would go a long way in alleviating food insecurity in the country.
TETFUND HAS IMPACT AND IS STILL IMPACTING TO THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN PLATEAU STATE. WE SAY MORE GRACE TO YOU! I AM PROUD OF TETFUND.