The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has launched the construction of six state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research laboratories aimed at enhancing local research capacity and eliminating the need for sending samples abroad for analysis.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), led by its President, Arc. Mobolaji Adeniyi.
According to Echono, four of the cutting-edge facilities are already under construction in Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos, with two additional laboratories scheduled to commence before the end of the year.
In his remarks, Echono who is also the 28th President of the Institute pledged to rally stakeholders and friends of the agency to support the furnishing of the NIA’s Resource and Exhibition Centre, currently under construction. The gesture was in response to a request from the NIA President.
The TETFund head further announced the institution of an annual architecture award prize, alongside sponsorship of the NIA’s journal publication and other collaborative initiatives.
Highlighting ongoing infrastructural efforts, Echono revealed that the agency is set to commission a series of landmark projects across the country. He noted that four of these projects would be unveiled in Kano and Osun States before the end of the month.
“One of the major issues I observed upon assumption of office was the proliferation of unremarkable structures across our campuses,” he said. “We are now transitioning to iconic buildings that reflect the dignity and atmosphere befitting higher institutions. On Thursday, we will commission some of these signature projects, and Nigerians will begin to witness a new era of campus architecture that embodies serenity and grandeur. This is the global standard we are striving to replicate.”
He added that after the Kano commissioning, the agency would move to Osun State to unveil several other projects, emphasizing that TETFund’s interventions are transforming the visual and functional identity of Nigerian tertiary institutions.
In her remarks, NIA President Arc. Mobolaji Adeniyi commended TETFund’s significant contribution to infrastructural development in the education sector under Echono’s leadership.
She particularly praised the establishment of TETFund Centres of Excellence (TCoEs) in various tertiary institutions, describing them as a landmark initiative. She also called for greater inclusion of NIA members in the design of educational infrastructure nationwide.
“These interventions have left lasting impacts on the landscape of Nigeria’s tertiary education,” she said. “Referring to our institutions as citadels of knowledge and learning is not misplaced. The very term suggests an environment that commands presence and ambience—qualities that our first-generation universities have long exemplified.”
