The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said the Federal Government’s investment in tertiary education through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) will help unlock the vast agricultural, mineral, energy and economic potential of the North Central region.
Idris stated this on Thursday in Lokoja, Kogi State, at the 2026 TETFund North Central Zonal Town Hall Meeting.
He said universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the region must be aligned with its development needs by producing graduates with relevant skills in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, technology and other critical sectors.
The minister said the region required scientists, engineers, agricultural experts, technicians and entrepreneurs capable of transforming its abundant resources into sustainable economic opportunities.
“Our universities, polytechnics and colleges of education must therefore be closely connected to these opportunities, producing the scientists, engineers, agricultural experts, technicians and entrepreneurs required to unlock the vast potential of the North Central,” he said.
Idris said the Federal Government’s commitment to tertiary education was reflected in the 2026 TETFund intervention allocations, with approximately N2.53 billion earmarked for each public university, N1.87 billion for each polytechnic and N2.06 billion for each college of education.
“These are not simply budgetary figures. They represent laboratories that can be equipped, lecture halls that can be built, libraries that can be modernised, research that can be supported and students who can learn in better environments,” he said.
The minister stressed the need for stronger partnerships between tertiary institutions and industry, saying higher institutions must move beyond producing graduates to becoming centres of research, innovation and job creation.
He also highlighted the roles of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), technical and vocational education, digital skills and entrepreneurship programmes in expanding opportunities for young Nigerians.
“Education is therefore not only an economic investment; it is an investment in national security and social stability,” Idris said.
He urged TETFund to sustain transparency, monitoring and accountability in the utilisation of intervention funds, while calling on stakeholders to ensure that recommendations from the town hall meeting translated into measurable actions.
The Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, said tertiary institutions must also move beyond producing graduates and become centres for research and practical solutions to the challenges facing the country.
Ododo called for research capable of addressing challenges in agriculture, mining, healthcare, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and security.
“We need research that solves problems in agriculture, mining, healthcare, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and security. Our research must move beyond theory to solutions that improve the lives of our people,” the governor said.
He said tertiary institutions should play a leading role in transforming the region’s natural resources and human capital into food security, industrial growth, employment and sustainable development.
The meeting was attended by the representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Prof. Babatunde Bernard; former Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada; and Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, among other dignitaries.
