The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has said it provided about N4 billion for the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to develop its permanent site.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof. Sulaiman Elias Bogoro, made the disclosure in Abuja at the 2nd International Conference of Social Sciences with the theme “Africa and its Diaspora: Opportunities, Challenges and the Future”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day conference on Diaspora is coming few days after 23 Nigerians appeared on the death row in Saudi Arabia and another 80 involved in biggest internet fraud in the U.S.
The TETFund boss, who was the chairman of the occasion regretted the development, noting that Nigerians in the Diaspora had contributed so much to the development of the country, especially in the education sector.
“So, I want to say that for us Nigerians and indeed the rest of Africa, it makes sense that we make a focus on the issue of Diaspora.
“Unfortunately, the issues of Diaspora about many African countries particularly our own Nigeria, the references have been more in recent times about the negativities; it is very sad.
“I believe that if we love our country, there are many things we can do to ensure that we make a difference in ourselves,” Bogoro said.
According to Bogoro, TETFund provided NOUN with the required funding knowing that the institution will benefit Nigerians within and outside the country with the type of courses it offers.
“This is what happens when some of us have the privilege of making approvals that translate to tangible outcomes.
“That is exactly what I did with the approval of the board of trustees of TETFund in February 2015 that we made available in two months N4 billion to develop the permanent site of this university.
“I may be given credit for it but I know I acted on behalf of TETFund and I know that another person would have chosen to take the money elsewhere.
