Governor of Zamfara state, Dauda Lawal has appealed to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for an increased intervention fund to the state to boost infrastructural development in some state-owned tertiary institutions.
He made the appeal yesterday in Abuja when he visited the executive secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono.
Lawal said that due to Zamfara’s poor financial standing, the state of emergency he declared in the education sector recently requires extensive funding support to succeed.
The governor also sought the support of TETFund to complete some of the abandoned projects, especially at the state university, in order to expand access to university education in the state.
He underscored the urgency of addressing the pressing challenges within the state’s educational system, highlighting TETFund’s importance.
He said “I came to thank TETFUND but also to ask for more intervention, considering the financial situation of the states.
“Remember, sometimes in November, we declared emergency in education and that is why I’m here to continue to follow up wherever we can get help, so that things will be better in Zamfara.”
Lawal discussed the security situation in the state and said it has become a significant challenge. He assured the public that the government was on it.
Echono promised that despite the security challenges in Zamfara state, the fund is doing a lot to ensure that education continues in the state.
He said TETFUND is ensuring that every part of the country and every student has access to quality education.
Echono said, “He (the governor) came on an appreciation visit because we are doing a lot despite the security challenges in Zamfara. We want to ensure that education continues and that our students, wherever they may be, have access to quality education in every part of this country.
“He came with particular requests, especially regarding state institutions. Zamfara, like any other state, is one of the beneficiaries of our High-Impact projects, and he was canvassing for us to complete some already ongoing projects because they are having funding challenges,“ the TETFund boss said.
Echono added that successive governments initiated some of the abandoned projects and that the Governor wants TETFund to take them over and complete them.