In the wake of rising insecurity challenges, Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda has called on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to intervene in mechanisms to beef up security in tertiary institutions in the state.
Radda made this known on Monday, February 12, 2024, during a working visit to the Executive Secretary of TETFund in Abuja.
The Governor said he came to appreciate TETFund for interventions in the country’s tertiary institutions especially those in Katsina State and also to thank him for building the capacities of its lecturers.
He acknowledged that the country’s economy was going through a hard time coupled with insecurity in the
Northwest zone, therefore, “the resources we receive is not adequate to address the challenges that are facing our state.
“Our Tertiary institutions in Katsina need your kind intervention especially that we are having some threat security in some of these institutions.
“A lot of those students have been kidnapped, so we need to intensify the security around the universities by providing a lot of security safety nets in those universities to make the students comfortable to learn.
“It is on this note that I request the intervention of TETFund in our institutions. First of all to secure them and also to provide the needed infrastructure, and we’re just in the process of converting our ICT institution to a university of engineering and technology, and for us to achieve that, we need your support in that direction”, Radda said.
In response, Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono said that
seven to eight institutions in Katsina were currently benefitting from TETFund, “Katsina is in the eye of the insecurity, we have already prioritised Katsina for our intervention under security infrastructure because the president is determined that, even in times of crisis, education should move on and we must find a way of keeping our children in school”.
He hinted that there was ongoing collaboration between the Federal Government and state governments to expand institutions by leveraging technology. He said plans were underway to teach out-of-school children skills that would help them make a living and contribute to the nation’s economy.
Concerning newly established institutions in the state, the TETFund Boss advised that the commissioner of education and the relevant heads of institutions to liaise with TETFund to commence the procedure for enlistment.
He however clarified that current disbursements were based on last year’s budget, hence the new institutions would not be benefitting from them this year.
He further disclosed that the state’s universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education had received N1.1bn to N1.9bn each in the current batch of releases.
He listed some of the security interventions to include perimeter fencing, ensuring constant power supply on the campuses, installation of CCTV cameras, and purchase of communication gadgets for the schools’ security personnel among others.
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