Tinubu commissions TETFund projects at Federal College of Education, Odugbo, Benue

President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, His Excellency Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR, on Thursday, July 3, 2025, officially commissioned two TETFund-supported projects at the permanent campus of the Federal College of Education, Odugbo, located in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State.

Representing the President at the event was Engr. Nurudeen Adeyemi Balogun, North-Central representative on the Board of Trustees (BOT) of TETFund.

He commended the Provost, Professor Joel Obo Eriba, and the College Management for their swift and efficient access to intervention funds, which ensured the timely completion and handover of the projects.

The commissioned facilities include blocks of classrooms with an auditorium and an Early Grade Reading Resource Centre. These were executed under the 2023 TETFund Annual Intervention and the 2024 Special Intervention, respectively.

While addressing attendees, Engr. Balogun noted that, “the Management of the College dared the odds in spite of the obviously difficult operating conditions.” He further charged the leadership of Professor Eriba to “continue to sustain the mutually beneficial relationship between the College and TETFund.”

Engr. Balogun also extended appreciation to the host community for its support and hospitality, emphasizing the importance of a conducive environment for educational development.

He noted that under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the federal government is adopting new approaches aimed at unlocking students’ earning potential, increasing enrollment, and making graduates more employable and productive.

According to him, “arrangements were already on-going for the implementation of specialized programmes that would address students’ practical teaching needs in the same manner that university and polytechnic students enjoy entrepreneurship and skills development opportunities.”

In his remarks, Professor Joel Obo Eriba, Provost of the College, expressed heartfelt appreciation to the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and TETFund for their consistent support in revitalizing tertiary education. He observed that, “TETFund support to education over the years was huge to the extent that some tertiary institutions in Nigeria may have been better referred to as ‘TETFund COEs, TETFund Universities or TETFund Polytechnics’.”

He praised the leadership of Arc. Sonny S.T. Echono, Executive Secretary of TETFund, for his role in strengthening public tertiary institutions, stating that “without TETFund interventions in public tertiary institutions, these institutions would have gone comatose in terms of inadequacies in infrastructure and other relevant learning facilities.”

The Provost outlined the numerous ways the College had benefitted from TETFund, citing support in areas such as ICT equipment and software, library materials and furniture, academic staff development, conference attendance, and postgraduate training in Nigerian universities.

Reflecting on the institution’s foundation, Professor Eriba noted that the College was among the six established by the Federal Government in 2021, with staff members drawn from at least 22 states across the federation. He lamented the deterioration of teacher education in recent decades, despite its central role as recognized in the National Policy on Education which states that, “no nation can rise above the quality of her teachers.”

He attributed the decline to a variety of issues, including society’s negative perception of teachers, poor remuneration, lack of motivation from employers, and an overall erosion of the teacher’s image. Yet, he affirmed the College’s readiness to confront these issues and align itself with the vision and mandate of the Federal Government.

Highlighting the College’s mission, Professor Eriba said its goals include: “to train teachers who are grounded in pedagogical skills that are child-centred,” “to produce teachers who possess knowledge for delivering value to society as well as being self-reliant,” and “to inculcate into the teachers the need to be morally upright so as to instill same to the younger ones under their tutelage.”

He further stated that the College is also committed to preparing educators who can contribute to national development, compete in the broader economy, pursue higher education, and meet global educational standards.

Professor Eriba emphasized that the high-profile visit would encourage the College to press forward in its efforts to achieve its vision. “The purpose of the visit of the august visitors would further spur the College towards the realization of its objectives in line with her slogan of ‘being the best among the best,’” he declared.

As part of the visit, Engr. Balogun also inspected other TETFund projects currently ongoing at the College, noting their various stages of completion.

The commissioning ceremony was well-attended. Present were Rev. Fr. Jerome Sylvester Idoko, Priest in Charge of St. Martha Catholic Mission, Odugbo; Apostle Chief Ohepo James, District Head of Edikwu II; Chief Simon Otache, Clan Head of Odugbo; Chief Augustine Echono, Clan Head of Obinda; along with community elders, College principal officers, directors, departmental heads, and staff.

Indeed, the occasion marked a joyful moment for the institution and its host community, as the Federal College of Education, Odugbo, continues its journey toward academic excellence and national relevance.