Nigeria Becoming Hub for Skilled Labour, Says TETFund Boss
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Mr. Sonny Echono, has said that Nigeria is becoming a hub for skilled labour that is sought after globally.
He stated this at the weekend during the annual Vanguard Newspaper Personality of the Year Awards, where he bagged the Education Icon Award.
Echono commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for some game-changing policies in the education sector, adding that the fund would not relent in discharging its assignments and responsibilities.
“Despite the odds and the challenges, products of our education system are not pushovers. They can compete with their peers globally. Now, we have a number of our youths working for multinational companies while in the comfort of their homes in Nigeria,” stated Echono. “Nigeria is gradually becoming a hub for skilled labour that people across the world are seeking.”
He added that while Nigeria “have a youthful population, many of the advanced nations are experiencing declining or stagnant population.”
He also mentioned that TETFund has supported over 40,000 scholars for postgraduate programmes locally and abroad.
“We are also ensuring that projects are completed as soon as possible because we don’t want inflation to catch up with the costs of those projects. Monitoring has been further strengthened. The impact of TETFund on our campuses can be seen by all,” Echono said.
On whether the fund is not being overburdened as more public tertiary institutions are set up, Echono explained that prudent management of the available resources has been the order of the day.
While dedicating the award to Tinubu, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, staff and management of the TETFund, Echono said it would further propel him and his team to do more because to whom much is given, much is expected.
He added that legacy projects that would change the landscape of Nigerian tertiary institutions would be executed by the fund and solicited the support of the management of such institutions to ensure seamless execution of the projects.
