The Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, has secured a N1 billion grant from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Agricultural Commercial Farm Grant, placing the institution among 10 beneficiary universities nationwide.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Faruk Adamu-Kuta, disclosed this during a press conference on Monday in Minna ahead of the institution’s 34th convocation ceremony and 43rd Founders’ Day anniversary.
Adamu-Kuta said the grant was designed to strengthen agricultural research, enhance practical training and promote commercial farming in line with national food security and economic diversification goals.
He also revealed that the university attracted two major international research grants in 2025, including a three-million-dollar ICT Development grant from the Agence Française de Développement and a £15,000 Open Access Books grant from the United Kingdom.
According to him, the grants reflect increasing local and international confidence in the university’s research capacity, accountability and innovation drive.
The Vice-Chancellor said the 2026 convocation ceremony would serve as a celebration of resilience, academic excellence, innovation and institutional progress.
He announced that a total of 5,297 students would graduate from the 2024/2025 academic session during the convocation scheduled for Feb. 1.
The graduands comprise 4,438 first-degree holders, 73 postgraduate diploma recipients, 633 master’s degree awardees and 153 doctoral degree recipients.
Adamu-Kuta disclosed that 111 graduates earned first-class degrees, while 1,525 obtained second-class upper, 2,134 second-class lower, 631 third-class and 37 pass degrees.
He further stated that FUT, Minna, was ranked the seventh-best university in Nigeria and emerged as the highest-ranked specialised university in the country in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The Vice-Chancellor also announced the establishment of a College of Medical Sciences and Health Technology following approval by the National Universities Commission, with pioneer students admitted for the 2025/2026 academic session.
He added that the university had completed major infrastructure projects, including a gross anatomy laboratory and a bioinformatics laboratory, and commenced construction of a professorial office complex.
According to him, FUT, Minna, voluntarily underwent an international quality assessment by the UK Quality Assurance Agency in November 2025 and was selected among 28 universities to benefit from the TETFund Academic Staff Training Scholarship.
Adamu-Kuta said activities lined up for the convocation week include religious services, a convocation lecture, exhibitions, project commissioning, sporting events and prize awards.
He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, integrity and community service, and called for sustained collaboration with government, industry and the media to enhance research commercialisation and global visibility.