The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to revitalising Nigeria’s higher education sector, with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocating about N2.53 billion to each federal university, N1.87 billion to each polytechnic and N2.06 billion to each college of education under its 2026 intervention programme.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this in Lokoja, Kogi State, during a TETFund zonal meeting for the North-Central region.
Idris said the intervention reflected the commitment of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to strengthening education and developing the skills of Nigerian youths.
According to him, the funds would support the construction and renovation of lecture halls and other critical infrastructure, the provision of laboratory equipment, the improvement of libraries, and research and innovation.
He said the government considered education a key pathway to producing skilled young Nigerians capable of contributing meaningfully to national economic development.
The minister explained that TETFund’s intervention under the Renewed Hope Agenda goes beyond infrastructure development, with increased attention to emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, digital skills, research, innovation, and capacity building for academic staff.
He urged tertiary institutions to align their research and academic programmes with the needs of the economy, particularly in agriculture, mining, energy, manufacturing and technology.
Idris noted that quality education and relevant skills would help reduce unemployment and equip young Nigerians to contribute effectively to the country’s development.
Also speaking, Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, commended TETFund for its contributions to the development of tertiary institutions and called for increased investment in research and innovation.
A member of the TETFund Board of Trustees representing the North-Central zone, Dr Abdulrahman Ocholi, said the intervention also covers areas such as robotics and coding, 3D printing, renewable energy, AI and biotechnology research laboratories, mini-grid power projects and innovation hubs.
He said the initiatives demonstrated the Federal Government’s efforts to transform tertiary institutions into centres of knowledge, skills development and innovative solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
