LASU is the greatest testimony that TETFUND is performing, says Ibrahim-Imam

Success Damian:

Chairman, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Board of Trustees, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, has lauded the Lagos State University for its effective utilisation of funds from the body describing interventions in the university as the greatest testimony that the TETFund is performing. 

Alhaji Ibrahim-Imam made this assertion on Tuesday, 3rd November, 2020 when he led members of the Board and Directors on an interaction and assessment visit to the University, as part of their tour of universities in the country where TETFund has projects. He also commended the University for its well deserved latest ranking as the 2nd Best University in Nigeria.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, NPOM, who received the team in his office, was unequivocal in attributing the sustained peace and development being enjoyed by the institution in the last four years, to, amongst other things, the interventions of TETFund. He listed the sponsorship of staff members to conferences and trainings, infrastructural development and selection of some academic staff for research grants award, as some critical areas of interventions afforded the university.  

"We are deeply grateful to you and your team for what you have done in the life of our institution. 

You have not only supported us, you have taken a step further to visit us.

"From 2016 till date, we have not had a moment of crisis and the reason is not far-fetched. Before now, Many of our colleagues were not able to go for conferences for a long time and this was part of the things that caused tensions in the University. But when we came in 2016, we met with you (tetfund) and expressed our readiness to access and utilize our funds and you obliged us. 

On infrastructural developments, TETFund intervention projects have proved critical in our admission process. With the TETFund projects on our campuses complementing the government's efforts,  our ability to admit more students in our programmes is enhanced. Today, we have 70 programmes and they are all accredited, thanks to the interventions of tetfund.", he announced proudly. 

The professor of Environmental Law also credited Tetfund for strengthening the teaching of entrepreneurship in the University: "Lagos State Government kick-started entrepreneurship training for our students with a programme called ReadySetWork. But the programme has been complemented vigorously by our own entrepreneurship courses managed by our Centre for Entrepreneurship. That Centre has a befitting facility, thanks to tetfund.

"We have also been able to deepen our capacity for research. All these grants that our staff are getting is because tetfund was able to start us up.

In his response, the TETFund boss could not hide his joy when he said, "Since my appointment as chairman of tetfund, today is my happiest day. The testimony I have heard from the Vice Chancellor has made me happy. We have gone round to interact with VCs around the country and to see how we have fared, but I can tell you that since we embarked on these visits, this is the best testimony I have heard. Yours is the greatest testimony that tetfund is performing.

And because of what we have seen and heard, I promise you, we'll do more. Indeed, I am encouraged for us to do more for LASU, " he announced to the delight of the Vice Chancellor and other members of Managements and Directors present at the interaction, which also afforded the Director, Directorate of Research Management and Innovation, Prof. Olumuyiwa Odusanya; the Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Prof. Martin Anatekhai; the Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof. Owolabi; Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Omobitan; National Research Grant Award Winner, Prof. Sylvester Fajonyomi and some students representatives the opportunity to testify about tetfund interventions in their domains. 

The TETFund team also had the pleasure of holding a virtual assessment meeting with the Provost, College of Medicine, Prof. Biodun Adewuya and Dean, School of Agriculture, Prof. Olatunji Abanikanda at the Senate Chamber before embarking on an on-the-spot assessment of tetfund-sponsored facilities on the main campus, Ojo. 

At the end of the tour, the Tetfund boss expressed deep satisfaction with the projects and reiterated his promised to attract more interventions to the University, one of which is an incubation centre for the Centre for Entrepreneurship.

Members of the University Management, including the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Wahab Elias; Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Administration), Prof. Oyedamola Oke; Registrar, Mr Olayinka Amuni; University Librarian, Dr. Emmanuel Lai Adebayo and representative of the Bursar, Mr. Taiwo Omonyi, officials of the Tetfund Desk Office in LASU and other officials of the University were part of the meeting and subsequent tour of facilities.