By Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
Isu-Onicha, Ebonyi State – On Tuesday, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has visited the Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu, to inspect ongoing projects and assess the challenges the institution faces in project execution.
Mrs. Esther Ukachukwu, the South East representative on the TETFund BoT, stated that the visit aimed to identify distressed projects and determine if the college had any unassessed funds. “We want to identify distressed projects and confirm whether there are unassessed funds that the institution has yet to utilize,” she said.
Adding that the visit provided an opportunity for direct engagement with the college’s leadership and for offering necessary support. “If there are any issues you feel I can help with as a BoT member, that’s why I’m here,” she added.
Prof. Reuben Okechukwu, the Provost of the College, thanked the delegation and expressed gratitude for their visit. He provided background on the college’s establishment in 2020 and the challenges it has encountered since its inception.
“We started from scratch nothing was here,” he explained. “Thanks to the generosity of the host community, we received over 170 hectares of land. The former governor also granted us a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). Unfortunately, the land is located in a swampy area, which we did not anticipate during the dry season.”
Prof. Okechukwu noted that the college received its take-off grant in 2022, following procurement processes that began in 2021. However, construction progress has been hindered by difficult terrain, ecological issues, and the inflationary impact on building materials.
He disclosed that two major projects have since been classified as distressed. “We have written to TETFund to report the situation. The terrain has been a major challenge,” he said.
In response, Mrs. Ukachukwu acknowledged these challenges and assured the college of the board’s commitment to supporting the institution in resolving the issues and accelerating project completion.
This visit is viewed as a significant step toward strengthening collaboration between TETFund and tertiary institutions in the South East, ensuring that disbursed funds are effectively utilized for infrastructural development in the education sector.
The provost with the school management took the team round the college temporaril and permanent site during the visit.