TETFund unveils six state-of-the-art research laboratories to end foreign sample analysis
By Uji A Iliyasu, Abuja
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced that its newly established multidisciplinary research laboratories will enable Nigerian researchers to conduct all forms of research locally, eliminating the need to send samples abroad for analysis.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sunny Echono, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while receiving the leadership of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), led by its president, Mobolaji Adeniyi.
He said six of these state-of-the-art facilities are being set up across the country. Four—located in Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos—are already under construction, while two more will commence before the end of the year.
Echono, a former 28th president of the NIA, also pledged to mobilise support for furnishing the Institute’s Resource and Exhibition Centre, currently under construction, as requested by the NIA president. He further announced an endowment of an annual prize at the Institute’s Architecture Annual Awards, sponsorship of its journal publication, and other initiatives.
Highlighting ongoing TETFund projects, he revealed that several iconic buildings would soon be commissioned nationwide. Four such projects will be unveiled in Kano and Osun states before the end of the month.
“When I assumed office, I observed that our campuses were dotted with all sorts of ordinary blocks. We are now transitioning to iconic buildings that reflect the ambience and grandeur associated with world-class campus architecture,” Echono stated. “By Thursday, we’ll commission some of these projects, and Nigerians will begin to see the transformation from the unpleasant images of inhumane living conditions to serene, inspiring educational environments.”
Earlier, Adeniyi commended TETFund’s infrastructural interventions in the education sector and called for greater patronage of NIA members in designing institutional infrastructure.
She praised the TETFund Centres of Excellence initiative, describing Nigeria’s higher institutions as true “Citadels of Knowledge and Learning” deserving of architectural designs that convey prestige and purpose, particularly as seen in the nation’s first-generation universities.