The management of Federal Polytechnic Daura, located in Katsina State, has successfully secured a total of N750 million in funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for skill development and equipment upgrades.
The special intervention includes N350 million allocated for skill development programmes, while N400 million has been designated for the upgrade of equipment and laboratories.
Speaking during a press conference held at the institution’s permanent site in Daura, the Pioneer Rector, Aliyu Mamman, revealed the details as part of activities lined up for the second convocation ceremony.
He noted that the TETFund intervention had significantly enhanced the Polytechnic’s skills acquisition programmes and the modernization of its equipment and laboratory facilities.
According to Mamman, eight laboratories across various departments are now solar-powered, allowing students to conduct practicals at any time without fear of power outages.
“These kind gestures by the TETFund are recognized and highly appreciated,” he said.
However, Mamman expressed concern over low enrolment figures, noting that the Polytechnic would be graduating just 408 students from 11 departments and programmes during its second convocation ceremony scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025.
He praised the efforts and sacrifices made by the pioneer team over the past five years, describing how they transformed the institution from what “was hitherto looking like a farm.”
In a related development, the Rector announced that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) had recently granted approval for the Polytechnic to commence 11 Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes, further expanding academic offerings at the institution.
Addressing security concerns, Mamman disclosed that the institution had been grappling with cases of security breaches involving personnel themselves.
“Management is liaising with the security company to address the breaches through screening of the security personnel before recruitment/engagement and supervision and monitoring by the company,” he explained.
Additionally, the pioneer Registrar of the institution, Malam Rabi’u Muhammad Danmalam, revealed that a total of 30 students have so far graduated with distinctions since the Polytechnic’s establishment five years ago.
The Federal Polytechnic Daura’s latest achievements underscore the growing impact of TETFund interventions in strengthening higher education institutions in Nigeria, especially in the areas of skill acquisition and infrastructure development.
