The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has inaugurated a N1 billion 2,000-capacity Central Library Complex at Bauchi State University, Gadau.

During the project’s inauguration on Friday, Sonny Echono, the executive secretary of the fund, said the project was approved under the 2017-2019 merged annual intervention.

Represented by the director of monitoring and evaluation, TETFUND, Olajide Babatunde, the executive secretary, said the university had been a beneficiary of the fund’s interventions in 2012 when it was enlisted as a beneficiary.

“From the year 2012 to date, TETFUND has allocated the sum of N17.3 billion for infrastructure-related interventions only, cutting across the annual, special high impact and zonal interventions, amongst others.

“With about 97 per cent of funds already accessed, we note with delight that these funds are being deployed judiciously in the provision of requisite facilities, which are obviously seen in various locations on the campus here,” he said.

He said the fund would continue to ensure that its interventions were sustained and improved to enable government-owned tertiary institutions to undertake impactful projects to make them globally competitive.

In his address, Aliyu Misau, a member of the House Committee on TETFUND, said the fund had also sponsored 100 lecturers for PhD in foreign and local institutions at N955 million.

He added that 143 lecturers were also sponsored for Master’s Degrees in foreign and local institutions at N359 million, among others.

The institution’s vice chancellor, Fatima Tahir, lauded TETFUND for the intervention, adding that the project would help shape the institution’s future.

“We must acknowledge the vital role played by TETFUND in making this dream a reality.

“Their unwavering support, both financially and logistically, has ensured that we have the resources necessary to provide exceptional learning experiences for our students.

“On behalf of our university, I extend our deepest gratitude to the federal government of Nigeria and TETFUND for their commitment to education and for believing in the transformative power of knowledge,” she said. 

(NAN)