Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has called on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to intensify investment in research and innovation that can generate practical solutions to Nigeria’s economic and developmental challenges.
Ododo made the call while serving as Chief Host of the 2026 TETFund North Central Stakeholders’ Town Hall Meeting held at the Glass House, Kogi State Government House, 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 key stakeholders in the education sector across the region.
The governor described education as the foundation of national prosperity, stressing that sustained investment in the sector was essential to building a productive and innovative society.
According to him, ‘Every prosperous nation is first built in the classroom before it is built in the marketplace.’
He noted that education should not be limited to the acquisition of academic qualifications but must equip citizens with the knowledge and skills required to address emerging challenges.
Ododo specifically urged TETFund to channel more resources into research areas such as agriculture, mining, healthcare, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and security.
He said tertiary institutions in the North Central should evolve into solution-driven centres capable of transforming the region’s agricultural, mineral and human resources into food security, industrialisation, employment opportunities and sustainable economic growth.
The governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to strengthening TETFund and the tertiary education sector under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He also praised TETFund for its interventions in infrastructure, research, academic staff development and institutional capacity building, assuring that the Kogi State Government would continue to support initiatives aimed at improving teaching, research, innovation and skills development.
Ododo also congratulated Dr Abdulrahman Hassan Ocholi, the TETFund Board of Trustees member representing the North Central Zone, for organising the stakeholders’ forum shortly after his appointment.
He described the initiative as evidence of purposeful leadership and commitment to improving tertiary education, noting that the gathering of vice chancellors, rectors, provosts, education commissioners, students, traditional rulers and other stakeholders would help generate practical responses to challenges facing the sector.
The governor stressed that collaboration among stakeholders remained essential to achieving meaningful progress in education.
Earlier, Ocholi said the town hall meeting was designed to provide a platform for dialogue, accountability and collaboration between TETFund, beneficiary institutions, governments, students and host communities.
He highlighted several interventions under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including academic staff development, innovation and entrepreneurship hubs, research support, digital transformation, postgraduate scholarships, infrastructure development, robotics and coding facilities, artificial intelligence laboratories and renewable energy projects.
At the meeting, stakeholders endorsed President Tinubu for a second term, citing his administration’s education reforms and interventions. They also endorsed Governor Ododo for a second term and expressed support for APC governorship candidates across the North Central Zone.
The forum subsequently appointed Governor Ododo as its Patron and resolved to commence peaceful grassroots mobilisation.
The stakeholders also commended the Federal Government for its support for TETFund and the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), while calling for increased funding for TETFund.
Votes of confidence were equally passed in the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; TETFund Chairman, Rt Hon Aminu Bello Masari; and Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny St Echono.