The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, has reaffirmed the Fund’s readiness to strengthen collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to enhance public awareness of educational interventions and support national development. This was disclosed while receiving the leadership of the NUJ, led by its National President, Alhassan Yahya, during a courtesy visit to the Fund’s headquarters. Speaking on the purpose of their visit, the President said the union is seeking stronger institutional collaboration with TETFund to promote awareness of the agency’s interventions across the country. While commending the Fund for its contributions to revitalising tertiary institutions and pledged the union’s support in enhancing public understanding of projects implemented under the Fund’s intervention programmes. Yahya disclosed that the NUJ was proposing a joint inspection tour of selected tertiary institutions across the six geopolitical zones to enable journalists independently assess projects executed by TETFund and communicate their impact to Nigerians. According to him, the proposed collaboration would also involve joint public sensitisation initiatives aimed at highlighting the scale and significance of the Fund’s work within tertiary institutions. The NUJ president further appealed for support for the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), an NUJ-owned training institution dedicated to strengthening professional standards and improving journalism practice in Nigeria. He also proposed structured quarterly briefings between the union and TETFund to enable journalists provide feedback from field observations and offer constructive input to support the Fund’s operations. Welcoming the delegation, the Executive Secretary commended the media for its vital role in informing the public and promoting transparency in government programmes and national development initiatives. He noted that Nigeria’s tertiary education sector requires sustained investment, public trust and stronger institutional support to address infrastructure and research gaps across institutions. According to the TETFund Boss, the agency was established to halt the decline in academic standards and restore confidence in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country. Speaking further, he explained that the creation of the Fund was a targeted response to reverse declining standards, strengthen institutional capacity and stimulate growth in the sector, particularly at a time when infrastructure deficits were severe and skilled personnel were leaving the system. Although considerable progress has been made through sustained government support and structured intervention programmes, he acknowledged that significant challenges remain. He identified deficiencies in physical infrastructure, research facilities and the overall conditions for teaching, learning and research as areas requiring continued investment. The Executive Secretary noted that extensive intervention projects have been undertaken nationwide, resulting in visible improvements in facilities constructed, upgraded or rehabilitated to enhance academic delivery. He stressed that communicating these achievements to the public is essential to building confidence in the education system and sustaining national support for continued investment in tertiary education. Responding to the numerous requests by the union, Echono welcomed the proposals and expressed readiness to expand collaboration with the union to enhance the visibility of TETFund’s activities. He also pledged support for the International Institute of Journalism through staff enrolment sponsorship and other capacity-building initiatives in line with the mandate of the Fund. Echono thanked the visiting delegation and reaffirmed TETFund’s commitment to supporting institutions in addressing structural challenges, improving academic standards and sustaining progress in Nigeria’s tertiary education system