Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Yusuf has advocated for additional funding to state owned universities to improve learning atmosphere.
The governor made the demand during an official visit to Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, headquarters in Abuja to galvanize support for additional funding to Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil and the Northwest University, Kano.
The governor, in a statement issued by his chief Press Secretary, Sanusi Nature, described TETFund as a driver for human capital development.
“Our investment in higher education could only be effective with the complementary efforts of TETFUND, we are determined to increase the capacity of our universities in the areas of infrastructure, research, training and retraining.
“In terms of education, Kano State is like Oliver Twist, the more you help us, the more we crave for more support, that’s why I am here personally.
“If you look at most universities in the country, without the support of TETFund they won’t be where they are today in terms of educational facilities.
“Number two, I am more concerned about the training and retraining of the staff of the universities. TETFund has been assisting in areas of training and retraining,” the governor said.
On his part, TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono who congratulated Governor Yusuf on his victory in the March 2023 gubernatorial election, said the fund is ready to partner with the government to improve the fortunes of tertiary education institutions in the state.
Echono described Kano as not only centre of commerce but also that of learning with many universities in the state.
“TETFund intervenes in three institutions within a state; that is the universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
“The board of Trustees, in order to ensure we concentrate resources and achieve meaningful impact, placed limitations on a number of institutions.
“So, we do not encourage states to just establish multiple institutions with only the intention of targeting TETFund intervention.
“It actually enlists two similar types of institutions at a time, and even when we enlist two institutions at a time, what I mean is either two universities or two polytechnics or two colleges of education.
“In order, to meet the provision of our law that talks about equality of states, to ensure we do not favour one particular state over the order. States that have more than one institution, ,we actually, alternate them,” he said.
Olusola Akintonde
