By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has announced that the Federal Government is extending its Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Renewed Hope Initiative ICT Experience Centre programme to 15 additional tertiary institutions nationwide.
She disclosed this on Tuesday while commissioning the ICT Experience Centre at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, in an event where she was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima.
According to the First Lady, construction is already under way at institutions in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Rivers, Yobe and Zamfara states, as part of the administration’s drive to equip Nigerian youths with the skills needed to compete in a technology-driven global economy.
“The centre we are commissioning today represents opportunity, innovation, knowledge and hope for the future of young people in Kwara State and beyond,” she said, describing the initiative as central to the Renewed Hope Agenda’s focus on youth empowerment, education, innovation and economic transformation.
The First Lady said the KWASU facility was built as a modern technology hub featuring ICT laboratories, interactive digital displays, conference facilities and exhibition spaces to support learning, research and innovation. She noted that KWASU was one of six institutions selected for the programme’s pilot phase, representing each of the country’s six geopolitical zones, adding that centres in other zones had already been commissioned and that facilities at Kaduna State University and Taraba State University would follow soon.
She urged KWASU students to take ownership of the centre and make full use of the opportunities it offers, encouraging them to deploy technology “to transform your lives, communities and our nation.”
Speaking at the event, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arc Sonny Echono represented by the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Arc Olajide Babatunde said the Fund’s Board of Trustees had approved the construction of one ICT Experience Centre in each geopolitical zone, at a cost of about N1 billion per facility. He said the centres were designed to build critical digital skills among students and lecturers in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development.
“As technology continues to transform economies, the Board of Trustees recognised the need to align Nigeria’s education system with emerging global technology and industrial standards,” Echono said, adding that the facilities would expose beneficiaries to technology applications in sectors including security, agriculture, healthcare, media and mining, while boosting graduate employability and innovation.
He described the KWASU centre as one of the foremost facilities delivered under the programme and the third to be commissioned in 2026, noting that it was fully furnished, air-conditioned and equipped with supporting power and infrastructure. Echono commended the First Lady’s role in championing youth empowerment initiatives and urged KWASU’s management to maintain, secure and regularly upgrade the facility’s equipment in line with technological advancements.
Earlier, KWASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, described the centre as a strategic investment in human capital, innovation and entrepreneurship, and thanked the First Lady for facilitating the project. He said the initiative demonstrated the Federal Government’s confidence in Nigerian students and its commitment to providing the tools they need to compete globally, pledging that the university would put the facility to maximum use for students, researchers and the wider academic community.
