Chukwu David 
The former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Babangida Nguroje, has urged the newly appointed Chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Governing Council, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, to give priority attention to Research and Development.
Nguroje, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, explained that he made his appeal in the area of research because investing in research is a pragmatic step towards upgrading the quality of education in Nigeria.
He stressed that although education is the bedrock of development globally, the aim could not be achieved without deliberate investment in Research.
Expressing confidence in the appointment of the immediate past Katsina State Governor, he pointed out that his headship of the agency would bring about a massive turnaround of the sector.
Honourable Nguroje said that Masari’s legacy in educational infrastructure in Katsina State had equipped him for his present job.
He pointed out that Masari’s appointment would revamp TETFund and reposition it to meet one of its core mandates of providing educational infrastructure and resources for research that would enhance capacity.
The former DSP maintained that the place of education in national advancement cannot be overemphasized, given the degree of the rot in the tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
He expressed concerns that over the years, the agency had not been able to achieve its mandate due to a lack of willpower by those at the helm of affairs in the establishment.
According to Nguroje, the newly appointed TETFund Chairman will be assuming office as one with a huge legislative and executive experience having served as speaker of the House of Representatives where he not only stabilised the parliament but also ensured that the institution maintained a high level of integrity.
He urged the new TETFund Chairman to deliver on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for the educational sector, by working assiduously to give the agency a new phase.
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is a body set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria, primarily to arrest the rot and deterioration in the educational infrastructure, occasioned by long periods of neglect and very poor resource allocation.
