Echono speaks on reforms at TETFund as he emerges ‘outstanding public servant of the year’
The efforts of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) at revamping the tertiary education sub-sector through its intervention activities are being acknowledged by stakeholders as the Executive Secretary of the fund, Arc Sonny Echono, was recently in Lagos unveiled as Champion Newspapers’ “Outstanding Public Servant of the Year”.
The award was presented to Echono on behalf of the organisers by the Chairman and CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), who was the chairman of the occasion.
In his acceptance remarks, Echono expressed appreciation to Champion Newspapers for the recognition, even as he acknowledged the support of the management and staff of the fund. He noted that the award would only spur him and his team to work harder and make the fund reach greater heights.
In a statement by the organisers, the award is in recognition of Echono’s efforts at making TETFund an outstanding public service institution focused on upgrading the strategic status of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The statement reads in part: “The award, a product of the painstaking selection process of our board of editors, is our modest way of recognising you and other top leaders in the public and private sectors of the economy of this country, as well as politicians/political office holders and other leaders of democracy and the economy of Nigeria, who have made great sacrifices in ensuring that the objectives and ideals of our nationhood are sustained and improved upon on the road to promoting good corporate governance and leadership in Nigeria.
“On all scores of good positive leadership indices, our findings, largely corroborated by that of our independent assessors, confirm that you, Arc Sonny Echono, in line with your vision of making TETFund an outstanding public service institution focused on upgrading the strategic status of our universities in Nigeria, have indeed sustained determined efforts in restoring hope, vibrancy and effective funding of our universities in a way that empowers them to be able to respond to the strategic challenges of university education in Nigeria.
“You have shown strong and effective professional character in your leadership of TETFund in a way that has impacted tremendously on the overall wellbeing of our universities in Nigeria today.”
While fielding questions from journalists after the event, Arc Echono stated that due to the critical role of the fund in bridging the funding gap and providing critical infrastructure, among others, it must not be allowed to become a victim of mismanagement.
This, he said, had been the reason for the various reforms instituted at the fund for more effective service delivery.
He said, “Since we came on board, we have embarked on a number of reforms to further make the agency work better and deliver on its mandate to the good people of Nigeria. We are aware of the role TETFund plays in the provision of infrastructure and critical facilities in our higher institutions, as well as the training of academic and non-academic staff.
“We are glad that testimonies from beneficiaries are positive and encouraging. However, because it is an agency that is known to be achieving a lot, and one that is responding to things in a positive manner, we attract the attention of a lot of people.
“Of course, the magnitude of and the nature of reforms that have been implemented are also going to affect some people adversely. We expect that such people would not feel comfortable. But as a public servant, one requires to know that one must develop a thick skin to baseless issues and move on and do the best you can.”