-Gov. Radda
The Executive Governor of Katsina State, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda has assured that his administration will provide the needed support required for infrastructural development in tertiary institutions in the state.
Gov. Radda gave this assurance in Abuja when he visited the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Arc. Sunny Echono.
Governor Radda said his visit was to appreciate the Management of TETFUND for the many interventions for tertiary institutions in Katsina and Nigeria at large and to further solicit for more interventions especially in the area of security and infrastructure.
Wondering what the state of tertiary institutions in the country would have been without TETFUND interventions, the Governor said “I have gone round the tertiary institutions in Katsina State and I have seen the kind of intervention and infrastructure you have been able to put in place. I have also spoken to the lecturers who have also told me the kind of intervention you have provided in building their capacity at different levels. This is something we need to appreciate the federal government for the kind of intervention the Fund is giving to tertiary institutions across the federation”.
Attributing the shrinking state of economies of many states in the country to economic hardship, depreciation of the Naira, high cost of food stuff and the effects of fuel subsidy removal, Governor Radda lamented that especially in the Northern part of the country, banditry, kidnapping and general criminality has been on the increase, leaving the states with inadequate resources to address the challenges facing them.
He said he considered TETFUND as a first point of call to seek for support, saying the Fund has done it before and the state is hopeful that it will do more in the area of infrastructure interventions for tertiary institutions in Katsina State.
“Our tertiary institutions in Katsina State need your kind intervention, especially now that are having threats of insecurity in some of the institutions. A lot of these students have been kidnapped in one place or the other. So we need to intensify security around our universities by providing a lot of security safety nets to make the students comfortable to learn”, he said.
Responding, the Exe cutive Secretary of TETFUND, Arc. Echono said the Fund will give special recognition to Katsina State especially with the expansion of tertiary institutions in the state.
He maintained that Katsina State is already grabbing with the issue of insecurity and given President Bola Tinubu’s directive to make education accessible to all, the Fund has created a special intervension line to address issues of insecurity which Katsina State is already projected to benefit.
