By Gistflash
June 16, 2021
Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, on Wednesday, lauded Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for its role in the growth and development of tertiary education in the country.
The governor gave the commendation while receiving the Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education and Services, Aminu Suleiman, and other members at Government House, Asaba.
Okowa said that he was proud of the outstanding contributions of TETFund to funding of research and infrastructure developments in higher institutions across the country.
While describing the National Assembly as an important organ of government, he commended it for enactment of laws and its oversight functions which, he said, had engendered advancement in education in the country.
“As it stands in this country, the more the National Assembly actually goes out on oversight functions, the more likely we are going to have better institutions.
“There is no doubt that through various laws passed by our nation and the Act establishing TETFund, a lot has been done in tertiary institutions.
“But, I still think that generally as a country, we must begin to look very closely into the funding and research of our tertiary institutions more than we are doing at the moment.
“This will help in the development of the mind and the higher institutions, and will also help in trying to bring us to compete with other universities across the world,” Okowa said.
He said that his administration had upgraded three higher institutions in the state to universities, stressing that the development was informed by the yearnings of the people of the state for higher education.
“I am glad that you have talked about Federal University of Technology, Asaba.
“I believe that with the facilities at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, the Federal Government will not be spending more to get the university running.
“It’s just a question of upgrading the Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba. They have enough structures and a good number of lecturers also,’’ he said.
On his administration’s entrepreneurial programmes, Okowa said until “we begin to grow youth entrepreneurs in skill acquisition and agriculture, we may not be able to sustain the peace being built at the moment.”
He urged members of the National Assembly to play their roles to keep the country united and give hope to the people, especially in this trying period, saying that the legislature was a very important part of the polity.
Earlier, Suleiman said that his team was in the state in continuation of its oversight functions.
He said that one of the responsibilities of the legislature was to perform oversight on the state of institutions of higher learning to enable them discharge their duties, with regards to appropriation.
Suleiman commended Okowa for his commitment, honesty and dedication to duty, which, he said, had led to massive road construction across the state.
He also lauded the governor for his administration’s youth empowerment programme, leading to sustained peace in the state.
NAN