The Higher Education Trust (TETFund) said it has spent N9 billion in public higher education institutions in the country to enable them to undertake research in various disciplines, under the National Research Fund ( NRF).
TETFund Executive Secretary Professor Suleiman Elias-Bogoro revealed this on Monday at the 35th Conference of the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU), held at the State University of Science and Technology of Kano (KUST), Wudil.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the conference theme is “Pathways to Green Investment, Creative Finance and DARQ Technology in Nigerian Universities”.
Elias-Bogoro, represented by Hajiya Hadiza Abdullahi, explained that the fund has awarded a total of 240 grants to institutions.
He described the NRF as an intervention to promote the conduct of applied research and innovation by academics in public higher education institutions.
According to him, research and innovations will help boost the country’s socio-economic development in an increasingly globalized and highly competitive knowledge-driven world.
In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said his administration would continue to prioritize education, adding that no nation could develop above the level of its education system.
This, he said, is the reason his administration declared education free and compulsory in the state.
Represented by Secretary of State Government (SSG) Alhaji Usman Alhaji, Ganduje said his government has sponsored the accreditation of more than 240 university programs at state-owned higher education institutions.
He also said that his administration would start the corresponding adjustments to the salaries of staff members of all institutions.
ACNU Acting President Professor Timothy Olagbemiro noted that universities around the world are required to explore creative solutions to societal challenges.
He said the country’s higher education system remains the largest in Africa, noting that there are currently 197 universities in the country.
Olagbemiro, however, identified funding as the major challenge facing Nigerian universities.
He said institutions were also facing problems with attacks and kidnappings, sometimes leading to the murder of students.
“To address these challenges, we propose a meeting with all stakeholders to discuss the way forward, especially on how to fund higher education in Nigeria and ensure campus security,” he said. he declares.
Also speaking, KUST Wudil Vice-Chancellor Professor Shehu Alhaji-Musa said university chancellor Alhaji Aliko Dangote will sponsor the recruitment of 15 professors for the institution, both internally and outside the country for four years. .
Alhaji-Musa said the Chancellor also pledged to support the institution’s agricultural project on the production of rice, sugar cane, tomatoes, palm oil and fish, covering more than one million dollars. ‘farmers.
He commended TETFund, CBN, NCC and National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), among others, for their continued support to the university. (NAN)
