A delegation of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Board of Trustees (BOT), North Central Zone have paid a working visit to Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, to inspect the newly completed University Senate Building and the Faculty of Law complex, both multi-million-naira projects funded by the Agency.
The Leader of the delegation, Engineer Nuruddeen Adeyemi, described the visit as a friendly and a familiarization exercise aimed at assessing the judicious utilization of TETFund interventions by the Institution.
“Our visit is a friendly one. To whom much is given, much is expected. We are here to see how the University has utilized the funds allocated to it, the quality of projects executed, and to also understand the challenges the institution is facing,” Adeyemi explained.
He emphasized that TETFund’s mission is not only to monitor but also to support institutions in achieving educational excellence in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He commended IBB University for its prudence and accountability in managing funds, noting that the Institution benefited from a ₦750 million zonal intervention for student hostel development despite not being a beneficiary institution for 2025.
Engineer Adeyemi further revealed that the University’s distressed projects, including the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, have received renewed attention with ₦426 million proposed to ensure their completion.
He assured that the Board remains committed to addressing peculiar institutional challenges and promoting sustainable infrastructural development.
In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Mohammed Hadi Sulaiman, expressed profound appreciation to TETFund for its continuous support and intervention, which he described as “a lifeline for Nigerian universities.”
“I am delighted to welcome you, Engineer Nuruddeen. Although I am just eight months in office, I can testify that without TETFund, most universities would struggle to survive especially in the area of capital projects,” the VC stated.
He noted that the ₦750 million intervention for hostel construction was timely, following student unrest linked to accommodation shortages. According to him, the University has over 21,000 students, with less than 2,000 accommodated on campus, a situation that poses serious security and management challenges.
Professor Sulaiman highlighted the excellent quality of the newly completed Faculty of Law and Senate Building, describing them as “architectural masterpieces that can stand anywhere in the world.”
He disclosed that the Council of Legal Education recently approved the commencement of the University’s Law programme after inspecting the facilities.
The Vice Chancellor appealed for additional TETFund interventions to support large-scale student accommodation, the completion of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (now 70% completed), and the expansion of Medical training infrastructure to accommodate the growing number of applicants.
The Vice Chancellor also called for policy reforms that would allow universities more autonomy in determining their admission capacities for professional programs such as Medicine, in line with available infrastructure and national manpower needs.
In his closing remarks, the Registrar and Secretary to the Council, Alhaji Idris Saleh Kusherki, represented by the Establishment Secretary, Mr. Sunday Gana, expressed the University’s profound gratitude to TETFund for its unwavering support.
He assured that IBB University would continue to uphold transparency and accountability in the management of all intervention projects while sustaining its partnership with TETFund for the advancement of tertiary education in Nigeria.