FG inaugurates committee to reposition engineering, technology education with TETFund intervention
The federal government has inaugurated a ministerial monitoring, evaluation and implementation committee for a special high-impact intervention project aimed at repositioning engineering and technology education in Nigerian universities.
The intervention, implemented in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), is designed to transform universities into centres of hands-on training, applied research, innovation and problem-solving, rather than remaining largely theoretical.
The committee is chaired by Ali Rabiu, president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSEC), alongside other scholars and professionals.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja on Monday, Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, said the newly inaugurated committee marked a critical milestone in the federal government’s deliberate efforts to rebuild engineering and technology education as a driver of industrialisation, innovation and sustainable national development.
Alausa said a wide gap had persisted between theoretical knowledge and practical competence among engineering and technology graduates, limiting employability, weakening industrial confidence and constraining Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global technology space.
“For too long, concerns have been raised about the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical competence among engineering and technology graduates,” the minister said.
“These gaps have limited graduate employability, weakened industrial confidence and constrained Nigeria’s ability to compete in a fast-evolving global technology landscape.
“This TETFund special impact intervention project has therefore been deliberately designed to address these gaps through modern workshops, advanced laboratories, cutting-edge equipment and industry-relevant training environments capable of producing graduates who can design, fabricate, test, innovate and industrialise solutions.”
Alausa said the intervention would focus on the rehabilitation and equipping of engineering and technology workshops across selected universities, alongside the provision of modern laboratories and relevant training facilities.
He added that the project was separate from other allocations captured under TETFund’s 2026 spending guidelines, which include about N20 billion earmarked for upgrading engineering workshops in selected universities.
Alausa listed institutions selected for the first tranche of the intervention, including federal universities of technology across the geopolitical zones — such as those in Akure, Owerri and Minna — as well as selected conventional and state universities.
He said more institutions would be added as the year progressed, while some universities were already benefiting from separate medical and science-based interventions.
Explaining the committee’s mandate, the minister said it would monitor the rehabilitation and equipping of engineering and technology workshops, ensure compliance with approved standards, recommend new workshop construction where necessary and oversee the utilisation of funds in line with procurement laws and transparency principles.
According to him, the committee will also maintain digital project records, submit periodic reports and recommend sanctions for non-compliance.
Earlier, Suwaiba Ahmad, the minister of state for education, said the intervention was strategic to Nigeria’s aspirations for industrialisation, innovation and sustainable economic growth.
She noted that funding alone was not enough to guarantee impact, stressing that effective implementation, strict adherence to standards, transparency and accountability were critical to achieving the project’s objectives.
Also speaking, Sonny Echono, the executive secretary of TETFund, commended the initiative and acknowledged the role of the president and the National Assembly in mandating deliberate efforts to restore Nigerian universities to global competitiveness.
“I have no doubt that this committee, made up of eminent Nigerians, professionals and technocrats in their own right, will help us in identifying the needs, specifying what must be done, monitoring the implementation process and ensuring that the funds allocated for this purpose are prudently and judiciously utilised,” he said.
