By Ngozi Nwankwo
No fewer than 46 Tertiary Education Trust Fund,TETFund, Staff members have been recognized for their dedication to duty and outstanding performances during the 2024 service year.
Speaking during its 2024 Long Service/Staff of the Year Award, the Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono said the award would motivate and spur its staff to work assiduously.
While appreciating the staff who had worked tirelessly within the year, Echono keenly noted that, staff members’ dedication to duty has helped TETFund’s impact felt “across the nooks and corners of this country, including state-owned institutions”.
“So I want you to seize this opportunity to rededicate yourself to the service of the fund, to understand the true meaning of service,” he advised.
He urged the staff who were being recognised to take the award as an “additional tonic to put in more effort.”
“And even for those who are not lucky today, I told you last year that today might be your turn, perhaps next year, or it might be the following year. And who knows, maybe by the time it’s your turn, it’s going to be a bigger prize or a bigger appreciation.
“And for us as a body, I believe we should safeguard, as I told you earlier about organisational culture, the moment you’ve been recognised as a leading agency of government, you must strive and work hard to continually sustain that level of performance.
“And there are so many agencies looking at us, rating agencies, those who are in various categories. And I just saw, the first thing I saw this morning, was one newspaper organisation acknowledging that we are the most improved public agency in the country,” he said.
Speaking on welfare, Echono announced to the excited staff that the TETFund Board of Trustees has approved the increase of their salaries which has been stagnant since 2011.
“And they(the Board) also endorse that we should actually pay your arrears this year,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman Board of Trustees of TETFund, Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari stated that the award aims to not only encourage the staff but challenges them to put in their best at all times.
He commended the executive secretary and the staff for making his job at the Fund easier, with their dedication to service.
“Well, let me also join him in appreciating the entire staff of TETFund. When I was coming here as chairman of the Fund, I heard so many stories. You know, as usual, it’s like a dark room.
“If you go inside, people will tell you, you will meet snakes, lions, tigers, all sorts of stories. But for those who haven’t come inside, it’s part of human nature,” he said.