Citizenship News
The Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said the Federal Government’s investment in tertiary education through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) will help unlock the North Central region’s vast agricultural, mineral, energy and economic potential.
Idris stated this on Thursday in Lokoja, Kogi State, at the 2026 TETFund North Central Zonal Town Hall Meeting.
This is according to Rabiu Ibrahim, mnipr, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation in a statement today, Thursday, 20 August, 2026.
The Minister said the region’s universities, polytechnics and colleges of education must be closely connected to its development needs and produce graduates with skills relevant to agriculture, mining, manufacturing, technology and other 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.
He said the Federal Government’s commitment was reflected in the 2026 TETFund intervention, with approximately ₦2.53 billion allocated to each public university, ₦1.87 billion to each polytechnic and ₦2.06 billion to each college of education.
“These are not simply budgetary figures. They represent laboratories that can be equipped, lecture halls that can be built, libraries that can be modernised, research that can be supported and students who can learn in better environments,” Idris said.
The Minister stressed the need for stronger links between tertiary institutions and industry, saying institutions must focus not only on producing graduates but also on research, innovation and job creation.
He also highlighted the role 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.
He urged TETFund to maintain transparency, monitoring and accountability in the use of intervention funds and called on stakeholders to ensure that recommendations from the town hall lead to measurable action.
The Executive Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, said tertiary institutions must move beyond producing graduates to becoming centres for 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,” the Governor said.
He added that tertiary institutions should help turn the region’s natural resources and human capital into food security, industrial growth, employment and sustainable development.
In attendance was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) ably represented by Prof Babatunde Bernard; the former Executive Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Captain Idris Wada; the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, among other dignitaries.
