TETFUND: FG sets to spend N3b on high impact research

​…FG won’t extend intervention to private institutions – Baffa

By LAIDE AKINBOADE-ORIERE

Abuja – The Federal Government, yesterday, revealed that it has

sets aside over N3 billion for high impact research intervention

fund for researchers in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund,

TETFund, Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, stated this while fielding

questions from journalists, in Abuja, he said the government

doesn’t have any plan to extend TETFUND intervention to

private institutions in Nigeria.

According to Baffa, “Research is one of the core mandate of the

fund, the fund is suppose to bridge the infrastructural gap in

our public tertiary institutions.

We have been supporting research institutions, where we can

allocate up to N15 million for academics in the Universities and

upto N10 million to academics in Polytechnics and Colleges of

Education. These are research grants awarded to qualified

scholars that participated in a regorous process of screening,

after sending their proposals.

“About N3 billion has been earmarked to support the high impact

research at the National Research Fund level.

“We also distribute research funds annually to universities to

support degree research, where staff of benefiting universities

are conducting research and they are supported and individual or

independent research are also funded through the National

Research Fund.

“Research is one of our focal point, we are determined to

support cutting edge research that would lead to turn around

the fortune of Nigeria”.

“Such research would increase our production and improve our

efficiency and easing the lives of our citizens.

“The more we research the more we industrialise our country.

And the more we create more jobs”, he said.

On inclusion of private tertiary institutions on TETFUND,

intervention fund he said, “I won’t Suggest a public should be be

given to private institutions. We don’t have any plan to extend

the fund to private institutions”.