The Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure, (FUTA), Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, has appealed to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) to extend its intervention in tertiary institutions to critical infrastructure.
Daramola made the appeal in Akure when a team of journalists monitoring TETfund projects visited his office.
He said capital releases for the development of critical infrastructure such as roads, optic fiber for internet; as well as hydro power plants were inadequate, hence the need for TETFund’s intervention.
According to him, the fund should take its interventions beyond infrastructure that have direct bearing on teaching and learning to at least the above listed infrastructure.
“We are saying that those infrastructures are very important, we don’t even have enough of them; but at the same time some critical infrastructures are needed to boost those on the ground.
”You and I would agree that you need power to run any decent university.
”You need investment in water provision for the environment to be decent enough.
“You need fiber optic for internet access; and of course you need good roads,” he said.
According to him, tertiary institutions in the country would not function well without interventions from TETfund.
The Vice Chancellor, therefore, stressed the need for the provision of such critical infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning.
His words: “A lot of the development in the Nigerian universities can be attributed to TETfund interventions.
”In fact, my friend who runs a state university once told me that the name of his university can be appropriately called TETfund University, because a significant proportion of our capital projects are sponsored by TETfund.
”’If I must say, TETfund has done well but there is room for improvement.
”TETfund intervention has been very significant, but one of the areas that we wish TETfund could look into is infrastructural development.
Daramola said since every university was a community on its own, it would also be helpful if TETfund could help with the provision of students’ accommodation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that many projects are being undertaken by TETFund in the tertiary institutions running into millions of naira as special intervention.
Such projects include; the construction of the School of Earth and Mineral Sciences Department at the cost of N500 million complex; as well as the Entrepreneurship Building at the cost of N74 million.
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