Buhari reiterates commitment to education research, approves N5 billion

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has approved the sum of five billion naira for the National Research Fund Intervention.

This is the highest ever allocation for such by any Nigerian government since the inception of the fund in 2009.

Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Suleiman Bogoro disclosed this during the Inauguration of the National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee in Abuja.

Bogoro, a professor, noted that the Buhari administration had at different times expresed worry over the low level of research funding while stating its determination to reverse the trend.

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He believed that informed the approval of the sum for NRF in the TETFund 2019 Intervention Budgets.

These funds, according to him, were intended to catalyse cutting edge research in three thematic areas of Science, Technology and Innovation, Humanities and Social Sciences; as well as other disciplines.

The intervention was geared towards contributing to the national development efforts of the Federal Government in tackling national challenges.

It is to be recall that the research fund was established in 2009 by TETFund to reinvigorate the research activities and address the paucity of funds required to conduct high quality research in Nigerian Tertiary institutions.

The NRF first seed fund of N3 billion was approved in 2011 by the TETFund Board of Trustees after which an additional N1 billion approved in 2015.