President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the funding of six Medical Simulation, Research and Training Facilities in six Colleges of Medicine through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
These training facilities will be responsible for setting up of Molecular Science Laboratories with capacity for testing and diagnostics of Covid-19, Lassa Fever, and similar viral diseases.
According to a statement made by TETFund, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has directed the Executive-Secretary (ES) of TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Bagoro, to select a university in each of the six geo-political zones, where the projects would be executed.
TETFund has also been mandated to establish 12 Medical Centres of Excellence to be hosted by first, second and third-generation universities.
“These Centres of Excellence, according to the directive, should be distributed in such a way that two must be cited in each geo-political zone”.
In a statement signed by Mrs. Ngoba Priye Briggs, Director, Public Affairs and Buhari Mikailu, Director, Physical Infrastructure Development, Tetfund, additional centres of excellence would be cited in state Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education subsequently.
The statement added that “the focus areas of the Centres of Excellence, in line with contemporary practise and technologies, are mainly in science-based disciplines”.
The Minister of Education also stressed that “ongoing research work in response to COVID-19, and similar diseases through the TETFund National Research Fund (NRF), the Research Community of the Federal Ministry of Education should undertake any other sundry contributions in support of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) in responding to the threat of Covid-19” in the country.
The statements noted that the presidential approval was initiated through the recommendation of TETFund Board of Trustees (BOT) and endorsement of the Minister, Malam Adamu.
TETFUND is a scheme established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2011, to disburse, manage and monitor education tax to government-owned tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Source- VON
Image- twitter.com/@NGRPresident
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