The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has expressed concern over the poor state of education in the state and has sought the support of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), particularly to enhance the infrastructural development of tertiary institutions in Osun.
Adeleke made this request during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, in Abuja.
The Governor lamented that education had been on the decline in the state and emphasised the necessity of this visit to prioritise education.
While commending the fund for its role in enhancing tertiary education across the country, Adeleke acknowledged that hardly any development in tertiary institutions could be dissociated from TETFund.
“Let me first commend TETFund for the outstanding job it is doing across Nigeria.
There is no institution where you will not see TETFund’s presence, so any discerning governor must commend their work so they can do more.
“In Osun State, a significant portion of Nigeria’s education progress is due to TETFund’s efforts. We have benefited from TETFund in terms of infrastructure.
“I am here seeking support from TETFund for Osun State and to request more assistance because our educational standards have significantly dropped.
“Perhaps it’s because I have not come to see you; that’s why we have not received much attention in Osun State, and that’s why I am here. You are doing an excellent job, and you must continue,” he said.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, highlighted the pivotal role tertiary education plays in any country.
Echono emphasised that tertiary education is where the highest level of production, creativity, and impact occurs, especially in terms of generating new ideas, products, services, and innovative approaches.
He stressed the critical importance of focusing on tertiary education, as this is where innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship flourish.
“We strongly believe that tertiary education plays a pivotal role in the affairs and destiny of any country because it is the level where the highest level of production, creativity, and impact happens.
“Whether it’s in terms of new ideas, new products and services, or better ways of doing things, it is at this level that innovation and creativity are at their peak.
“It is this body of knowledge and expertise that serves the various sectors of every economy, be it health, media, or any field.
“So, if we get our tertiary education right, we can even export it to other African countries and indeed other parts of the world, because Nigerians are known and endowed by God—very intelligent and hardworking people,” he said.
Echono explained that when Nigerians are equipped with the best facilities and provided with the right environment to excel, they perform exceptionally well in various fields.
“Our task is to prepare our people, improve their living standards, and provide them with the necessary tools to transform to the level of other places in the world.
“As a state, we see you as someone who can facilitate this.
“In terms of the specific request, as usual, we discussed specific issues related to infrastructure in our schools. We need to address particular projects that we want to complete.
“We need to address issues and challenges arising from security, climate change, flooding, and other factors.
“Additionally, we could work together to promote arts and culture, indigenous technology, and how we can collectively translate these into areas of research and innovation.
“Osun has taken a significant lead, especially at the technical level, in promoting technical education.
The governor has been discussing with me how we can collaborate to extend this beyond basic and secondary education to the tertiary level,” he added.
He commended the state governor for prioritising education, emphasising the importance of laying a solid foundation to collectively develop the country.