The Tertiary Education Trust Fund says gotten approval from the Federal Govermment to disburse the sum of N292.66 billion to public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
The money would be spread to higher education institutions in each of the six geo-political zones in the country,Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, said.
He spoke Bogoro a one-day stakeholders briefing, at the Nigeria Airforce Conference Centre, Abuja,also explained that the responsibility of completing the National Library Project in Abuja has been given to TETFund.
He said the library project represents an important national asset that shouldn’t be ignored on account of funding challenges.
Bogoro also emphasized the importance of research to national development, saying the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been consistent in approving funds to see that academics churn out quality research that would address emerging challenges bedeviling the country.
He added that this accounted for the setting up of the National Research Foundation which has consistently increased from N3 billion to N8.5 billion in recent times.
Professor Bogoro, who expressed delight that Nigeria is moving closer to an emergence of a National Research and Development Foundation, challenged academics in the country to turn around the fortunes of the country through cutting- edge research.
“Let us apply our innovative research outcome to solve the security problem, let us bring back value addition to the solid minerals that we are blessed with, it is one gold we have not explored to any significant level,” he said.
On the 2021 research grants to lecturers, Bogoro called on the nation’s academics to live up to expectations by churning out good proposals, saying that the Fund is always ready to finance such academic exercise.
“I have signed the letters of allocation for the research grants that we are issuing out, 217. This is the highest research grant ever. It has never gone beyond 200. We have 217 research grants that have recently been approved,” Bogoro said.
