By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Federal Government has said its investment in tertiary education through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) will help unlock the vast agricultural, mineral, energy and economic potential of Nigeria’s North Central region.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this on Thursday in Lokoja, Kogi State, at the 2026 TETFund North Central Zonal Town Hall Meeting.
Idris said universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the region must align their programmes with local development needs and produce graduates with skills relevant to agriculture, mining, manufacturing, technology and other key sectors.
“Our universities, polytechnics and colleges of education must therefore be closely connected to these opportunities, producing the scientists, engineers, agricultural experts, technicians and entrepreneurs required to unlock the vast potential of the North Central,” he said.
The Minister said the Federal Government’s commitment to improving tertiary education was reflected in the 2026 TETFund intervention, with approximately N2.53 billion allocated to each public university, N1.87 billion to each polytechnic and N2.06 billion to each college of education.
He explained that the allocations would support the provision of better learning facilities, modernized libraries, equipped laboratories and research, among other interventions.
“These are not simply budgetary figures. They represent laboratories that can be equipped, lecture halls that can be built, libraries that can be modernized, research that can be supported and students who can learn in better environments,” Idris said.
He stressed the need for stronger collaboration between tertiary institutions and industry, noting that institutions should go beyond producing graduates to promoting research, innovation and job creation.
Idris also highlighted the importance of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), technical and vocational education, digital skills and entrepreneurship programmes in expanding opportunities for young Nigerians.
“Education is therefore not only an economic investment; it is an investment in national security and social stability,” he said.
The Minister urged TETFund to sustain transparency, monitoring and accountability in the utilization of intervention funds, while calling on stakeholders to ensure that recommendations from the town hall meeting translate into measurable actions.
Also speaking, Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, said tertiary institutions must move beyond producing graduates and become centres of research and practical solutions to the country’s challenges.
“We need research that solves problems in agriculture, mining, healthcare, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and security. Our research must move beyond theory to solutions that improve the lives of our people,” Ododo said.
The governor said tertiary institutions should play a key role in transforming the region’s natural resources and human capital into food security, industrial growth, employment and sustainable development.
The event was attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, represented by Prof. Babatunde Bernard; former Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada; Chairman, TETFund Board of Trustees, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari; and other dignitaries.
