• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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UNIBEN becomes reference point for awarding TETFUND research grants – VC

UNIBEN becomes reference point for awarding TETFUND research grants – VC

Lilian Salami, the vice-chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Wednesday said that the university is now being used by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) as a standard to awarding grants to other institutions.

Salami, made the remarks during a media parley with journalists in Benin City.

She noted that when she assumed the position of the Vice-Chancellor of the University two years ago, the institution only had one research group competing for TETfund National Research Fund Grants of N7billion which has now been increased to N7.5billion.

She, however, commended the school’s Directorate of Grants and Research Management, who had increased the TETfund National Research Fund Grants to 13 groups.

She opined that with the numbers of the research group, the university is working seriously to be an institution where research that are relevant to the 21st-century help to grow the manpower development of the school as well as of the nation can be carried out.

According to her, I am sure that before I bow out of office, the University of Benin will be known for a niche area and will now be a reference point not only within Nigeria but outside the Africa continent.

Read also: University of Ottawa opens undergraduate scholarship opportunities for African students

Speaking on the efforts of her administration to ensure 24-hour power supply on the school campus, she said the management spends not less than N60million monthly to provide electricity.

She said the money was part of the school Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and not from the Federal Government.

“The university is working on its power plant in order to reduce the huge bill paid on electricity consumption in the institution”, she added.

She clarified that the university, imposed the sum of N20,000 for late payment of school fee after the stipulated period of four weeks attracts N20,000, which was misconstrued as increment of school fees.

The Vice-Chancellor said the N20,000 late payment fees was occasioned by the huge amount of unpaid tuition fees by students.

She added that as part of its corporate social responsibility, the institution is subsidizing the education of indigent students who can’t afford to pay school charges after thorough investigation by the management.