From Muawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has released over N100bn to selected tertiary institutions across the country to strengthen their capacity to train medical science students and address the shortage of health professionals.
TETFund Governing Board Chairman, Aminu Bello Masari, disclosed this in Katsina while speaking with journalists.
Masari said the intervention aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s plan to tackle the mass exodus of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians and other skilled medical workers in recent years.
“The President is particularly worried about how this trend is affecting Nigeria’s healthcare system. He wants to put measures in place to enable the sector recover through deliberate policies such as this ongoing intervention by TETFund,” Masari said.
According to him, three tertiary institutions were selected in each geopolitical zone, with each receiving N4bn for projects and academic expansion to boost their intake and training capacity in medical sciences.
“Our aim is to double the number of skilled professionals in the health sector. This will undoubtedly enhance healthcare delivery across the country,” he added.
Masari noted that TETFund’s monitoring and evaluation team, made up of consultants, ensures funds are used strictly for approved projects.
He revealed that the agency received its highest-ever grant this year — N1.6tn from the three per cent education tax on company profits — with N460bn earmarked for interventions in tertiary institutions.
“At the state level, three institutions — one university, one polytechnic and one college of education — were selected to benefit from the intervention,” he explained.
Masari added that project approvals are based on institutional demands and available resources.
Out of the N1.6tn, he said, N225bn was released to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund for the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, while N70bn was set aside for energy projects, including solar and gas power generation facilities in campuses.
He also announced that N25bn was allocated to improve security in some institutions through projects such as the installation of streetlights and other measures.
