Ododo Challenges TETFund to Turn Research into Solutions »

Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has challenged the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to increase investment in research and innovation that can provide practical solutions to Nigeria’s developmental challenges.

Ododo made the call on Thursday at the 2026 TETFund North Central Stakeholders’ Town Hall Meeting held at the Glass House of the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja.

The meeting, themed, “The Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and Its Impact on Tertiary Institutions in North Central Nigeria,” brought together stakeholders in tertiary education from across the region.

The governor said Nigeria’s economic progress would depend largely on the strength of its educational institutions, describing education as a foundation for sustainable national development.

“Every prosperous nation is first built in the classroom before it is built in the marketplace,” Ododo said.

He said tertiary institutions should not limit research to theoretical work but should develop into solution centres capable of addressing practical challenges confronting governments, industries and communities.

Ododo specifically urged TETFund to devote more resources to research in agriculture, mining, healthcare, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and security.

According to him, research in these areas should help the North Central harness its agricultural, mineral and human resources to achieve food security, industrial growth, employment and sustainable prosperity.

The governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for strengthening TETFund under the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying the Federal Government’s commitment reflected an understanding that education is a strategic investment in national development rather than merely a social service.

He also acknowledged TETFund’s interventions in infrastructure, research, academic staff development and institutional capacity building.

Ododo assured that Kogi State would continue to provide an enabling environment for programmes aimed at improving teaching, research, innovation and skills development.

The governor also congratulated Dr Abdulrahman Hassan Ocholi, the TETFund Board of Trustees member representing the North Central Zone, for initiating the stakeholders’ town hall shortly after his appointment.

He described the initiative as an opportunity to promote accountability and collaboration among stakeholders in the tertiary education sector.

Ododo said the participation of vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, education commissioners, students, traditional rulers and other stakeholders could help generate practical responses to challenges facing the sector.

He stressed that no single institution or individual could provide all the answers required to transform tertiary education, noting that progress depended on collaboration.

In his welcome address, Ocholi said the meeting was designed to provide a platform for dialogue, accountability and collaboration among TETFund, beneficiary institutions, governments, students and host communities.

He highlighted interventions under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including academic staff development, innovation and entrepreneurship hubs, research, digital transformation, postgraduate scholarships, infrastructure, robotics and coding facilities, artificial intelligence laboratories and renewable energy projects.

At the forum, stakeholders endorsed President Tinubu for a second term, citing his interventions and reforms in education.

They also endorsed Governor Ododo for a second term and expressed support for APC governorship candidates across the North Central Zone.

The forum appointed Ododo as its Patron and resolved to commence peaceful grassroots mobilisation.

It also commended the Federal Government’s support for TETFund and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), while calling for increased funding for TETFund.

Votes of confidence were further passed in Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa; Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris; TETFund Chairman, Rt Hon Aminu Bello Masari; and TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc Sonny St Echono.