The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, has officially inaugurated a cutting-edge N1 billion Central Library Complex at Bauchi State University, Gadau. The monumental project, boasting a remarkable 2,000 seating capacity, stands as a testament to TETFUND’s unwavering commitment to advancing educational infrastructure in Nigeria.

During the inauguration ceremony on Friday, Arc. Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of TETFUND, emphasized that the project had been approved under the Years 2017-2019 merged annual intervention. Speaking through the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Olajide Babatunde, Echono highlighted the university’s longstanding status as a beneficiary of TETFUND interventions since 2012.

Echono further elucidated, “From 2012 to date, TETFUND has allocated a commendable sum of N17.3 billion for infrastructure-related interventions alone, spanning across Annual, Special High Impact, and Zonal interventions, amongst others. With close to 97 per cent of the funds already accessed, we take pride in observing the judicious deployment of these resources, evident in various locations throughout the campus.”

Notably, TETFUND remains resolute in its commitment to sustaining and enhancing interventions to enable government-owned tertiary institutions to undertake impactful projects, thereby bolstering their global competitiveness. This unwavering dedication underscores TETFUND’s pivotal role in shaping the future landscape of tertiary education in Nigeria.

In his address, Aliyu Misau, Member of the House Committee on TETFUND, underscored that the Fund had also sponsored 100 lecturers for Ph.D. programs, both locally and internationally, at a cost of N955 million. Additionally, 143 lecturers were sponsored for Master’s degrees in various local and foreign institutions, entailing an investment of N359 million, among other initiatives aimed at fostering academic excellence.

Reacting to the intervention, the Vice Chancellor of Bauchi State University, Prof. Fatima Tahir, expressed profound gratitude to TETFUND for their unwavering support, both financially and logistically, declaring, “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 to TETFUND for their commitment to education and for believing in the transformative power of knowledge.”

This development marks a significant milestone in the trajectory of educational advancement in Bauchi State and beyond, as the new Central Library Complex is primed to serve as a crucible for knowledge acquisition and scholarly pursuits, enriching the academic experience for generations to come.