The Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Lokoja (FUL), Professor Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, has announced that the institution has secured N3 billion in intervention funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). He made this known while reviewing his first 100 days in office, also confirming the release of other interventions by TETFUND.
Major Funding Achievements
According to Prof Ibileye, the administration's guiding theme of Consolidation, Innovation and Sustainability for Institutional Resilience has driven a deliberate strategy of strengthening institutional systems while attracting resources to drive growth. He stated that the single most significant outcome of the period is the university's success in attracting major new funding.
The N3 billion intervention from TETFUND will establish a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cyber Sciences, placing Federal University Lokoja at the frontier of technologies reshaping the global economy. Further interventions from TETFUND and the Federal Ministry of Education signal strong external confidence in the institution.
Additional Interventions
The VC also secured the TETFUND annual Intervention and a N335 million NEEDS Assessment intervention. Special interventions of N700 million and N400 million from TETFund have been committed to upgrading laboratories and classrooms, directly enhancing the teaching and research environment. A N300 million Zonal intervention TETFund has also been secured for special infrastructure.
A N3 billion Public-Private Partnership investment for the development of a model hotel, initiated under the previous administration, has been consolidated and advanced, reflecting a strategy of pairing public funding with private capital for long-term financial sustainability.
Academic Programmes Accredited
Prof Ibileye announced that full National Universities Commission accreditation has been secured for eight academic programmes: Mass Communication, Computer Science, Education Mathematics, Integrated Science, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology, and Sociology. This outcome strengthens the university's academic standing and affirms the quality of its teaching, facilities, and faculty.
Reflecting on his tenure, the Vice-Chancellor remarked, “One hundred days is not a destination; it is a checkpoint. I said on the day of my inauguration that this administration would be remembered not for how loudly it spoke, but for how well the University worked, for the strength of its systems, the clarity of its processes and the stability of its calendar. These early months have been given, deliberately, to that quieter work. We have chosen consolidation over spectacle and discipline over display.”
