President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of 12 major research centres in the that would be funded by the Tertiary Education Trust, TETFUND, through funds generated by Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.
Chairman of Board of Trustees, BOT, of TETFUND, Mallam Kashim Ibrahim Imam, disclosed this during the TETFUND and FIRS interactive session on Tuesday in Port Harcourt.
Imam stated that because of President Buhari’s interest in ensuring that research is the hallmark of teaching and learning in tertiary institutions informed the establishment of the research centres.
He said the collaboration between TETFUND and FIRS has greatly ensured that education intervention funds for development and research in tertiary institutions are generated through adequate tax collections from companies and individuals.
The Chairman BOT of TETFUND also said it gratifying to note the most of the projects and researches in tertiary institutions both in federal and state owned schools are funded from TETFUND.
He therefore challenged FIRS to aim at generating N500Billion in 2021, just as he asked the Service to ensure that the N277 billion target for 2020 is achieved before the end of the year.
Imam said “Since TETFUND came into existence since 2011, almost all the projects in tertiary institutions across the country had been executed through the intervention from the agency”
Iman listed some of the interventions to include 75 projects at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, 68 for Lagos State University ,LASU, 68 for University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT.
In an interview, the Acting Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Stephen Okorodudu corroborated what Ibrahim said.
“I can testify that 68 projects completed and some still ongoing are funded through the intervention by TETFUND”.
However, Prof. Okorodudu advocated keying into the programme of TETFUND sponsorship of indigent students who are now finding it difficult to fund their education.
“As managers of the system, we also have a lot of indigent students who are finding it difficult to fund their tertiary education. TETFUND should have a way of factoring how they could support them.”
On his part, Dr Emmanuel Ikenyiri, Provost Federal College of Education, Omoku, Rivers State, said all the halls, Offices in his institution were built by TETFUND.
“In addition to the different projects and facilities fund by TETFUND intervention, two of my lecturers are beneficiaries of local and International scholarship. But they should factor in the sponsorship of indigent students.”
The annual one-day interactive session of TETFUND and FIRS which had the theme: “New Thrust in Expanding The EDT Collection During Covid-19 Pandemic for Effective Service Delivery of The Mandate of The Fund”, was attended by stakeholders in tertiary institutions and officials Federal Inland Revenue Service.
