Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State has called on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to expand its support for research and innovation that can generate practical answers to Nigeria’s development challenges, arguing that the country’s economic future is tied directly to the strength of its universities and colleges.
The Governor made the appeal on Thursday while serving as Chief Host at the 2026 TETFund North Central Stakeholders’ Town Hall Meeting, held at the Glass House of the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja. The event was themed “The Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Its Impact on Tertiary Institutions in North Central Nigeria.”
Ododo described education as the bedrock on which successful societies are built, telling attendees that investing in the sector remains one of the most reliable long-term investments a nation can make. He argued that strong classrooms come before strong economies, framing education as the training ground for the ideas and skills that later drive markets and industry.
The Governor said education sharpens critical thinking, drives innovation, and equips citizens with the tools to confront present-day problems.
Ododo specifically pressed TETFund to channel more resources into research spanning agriculture, mining, healthcare, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and security. He said universities and other tertiary institutions can no longer confine themselves to theoretical work, urging them instead to function as solution hubs that supply governments and industry with usable ideas.
According to the Governor, such research could help convert the North Central region’s agricultural output, mineral deposits, and human capital into tangible gains — including food security, industrial expansion, job creation, and broader prosperity.
Ododo commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for reinforcing TETFund’s mandate under the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying the Federal Government’s continued backing reflects a recognition that education functions as a strategic national investment rather than a mere social service. He also praised TETFund’s work in infrastructure development, research funding, academic staff training, and institutional capacity building, pledging that Kogi State would keep supporting programmes aimed at strengthening teaching, research, and innovation.
The Governor singled out Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Ocholi, TETFund’s Board of Trustees representative for the North Central Zone, for organising the town hall shortly after his appointment to the board. Ododo called the gathering — which brought together vice chancellors, rectors, provosts, education commissioners, students, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders — an example of purposeful leadership and accountability, adding that no single institution could resolve the sector’s challenges alone.
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Ocholi said the town hall was designed as a platform for dialogue, accountability, and collaboration between TETFund, beneficiary institutions, government officials, students, and host communities. He pointed to a range of ongoing interventions under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including academic staff development, innovation and entrepreneurship hubs, research funding, digital transformation initiatives, postgraduate scholarships, infrastructure upgrades, robotics and coding facilities, artificial intelligence laboratories, and renewable energy projects.
Beyond the education discussions, stakeholders at the meeting endorsed President Tinubu for a second term, citing his education-sector reforms, and also endorsed Governor Ododo for re-election while backing All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidates across the North Central Zone.
The forum went on to name Governor Ododo Patron of the Group, resolved to begin peaceful grassroots mobilisation, and commended the Federal Government’s support for both TETFund and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Attendees also called for increased funding for TETFund and passed votes of confidence in Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, TETFund Chairman Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, and TETFund Executive Secretary Arc. Sonny St. Echono.
