Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has said the state’s tertiary institutions are struggling with abandoned projects and accreditation of some courses.
Lawal noted that apart from security challenges, the state’s education sector has other myriads of challenges.
The Governor, in a visit to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) headquarters in Abuja, sought assistance for completing abandoned projects at the Zamfara State University.
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Sulaiman Idris, Governor’s spokesperson, in a statement quoted the governor saying that there are many uncompleted projects at the University which previous governments in the state had initiated and abandoned and therefore requested for more interventions from TETFund.
“The last time I visited TETFund, I mentioned that we are like Oliver Twist, always asking for more. Today, I am here to request additional support for certain Zamfara tertiary institutions”.
“I visited Talata Mafara local government two weeks ago and saw the projects carried out by TETFund at the Zamfara State University. Unfortunately, there are numerous abandoned projects from the previous governments in the state.
“We’re experiencing issues with accreditations at Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, and I need your support to resolve this”, he said.
The governor added that the education sector is battling with other issues such as students on foreign scholarship, backlog of WAEC and NECO registration fees, which he said his administration had made efforts in that direction.
“Zamfara is grappling with various challenges in addition to the ongoing insecurity. When we assumed office last year, employees had not been paid for three months, and our students could not take their WAEC and NECO exams. We also have a number of students on scholarships in Cyprus, India, and Sudan who have been left unattended, among other urgent matters”.
“My government had settled the backlog of salaries, paid the outstanding balance for WAEC and NECO, and resolved and settled payments for students on overseas scholarships. We are here to seek your interventions, which will go a long way in our effort to rescue and rebuild Zamfara”, he added.
TETFund Reacts
TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arc Sonny T. Echono said the agency will review the governor’s request and act appropriately, giving accolades to the developmental strides started by the governor.
“We will review the request from His Excellency and do everything possible. Your diligence in addressing state issues is commendable and shows a high level of seriousness. I want to personally thank you for settling the WAEC and NECO debt.”
“I want to congratulate you on your one year in office, and I want to appreciate and commend you for the work you are doing in government offices, institutions, hospitals, and other areas”, said Echono.
