Lagos State University (LASU) has received a N3 billion grant from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to establish a new centre of excellence in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and cyber sciences (ARCS) in the south-west.
TETFund had on March 5 unveiled plans to establish six new centres of excellence in Nigeria’s institutions of higher learning, raising the total number of research hubs across the country to 36.
Sonny Echono, executive secretary of TETFund, said the new centres would focus on training young Nigerians in robotics, coding, AI, machine learning and cybersecurity.
Echono said the centres would not only address national security concerns but also prepare Nigerian youths to contribute meaningfully to national development by filling global knowledge and skills gaps.
The six centres are expected to be spread across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
In a statement on Friday, Olaniyi Jeariogbe, spokesperson of LASU, said the university emerged as the sole beneficiary institution of the new centre grant in the south-west.
“Under the 2026 Special Intervention Projects allocation, TETFund has approved the sum of three billion naira (₦3,000,000,000.00) for the establishment of the centre, which will drive research, innovation, and capacity development in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, coding, and related digital technologies,” the statement reads.
“LASU’s selection followed a rigorous national evaluation process in which the university distinguished itself through demonstrated capacity, existing institutional infrastructure, and a verifiable track record of excellence in emerging digital technologies.”
Jeariogbe said the recognition affirms LASU’s “well-earned” standing as Nigeria’s most digitally advanced state university, a position he noted was built through years of deliberate and sustained investment in information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.
“The Centre is expected to further consolidate LASU’s leadership in technology education while equipping young Nigerians with the critical digital competencies required to participate meaningfully in the global knowledge economy,” Jeariogbe said.
“The initiative aligns directly with TETFund’s national mandate to strengthen Nigeria’s technological capabilities, close the widening digital skills gap, and prepare the next generation of Nigerians for opportunities in an increasingly technology-dependent world.”
The LASU spokesperson said the university expressed gratitude to the federal government and TETFund for the “significant investment” and reaffirmed its commitment to maximising the centre’s impact, not only for its students and staff but also for the wider Nigerian society.
In May 2020, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the establishment of the first 12 centres of excellence, hosted by federal universities, with two in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Designed to drive a paradigm shift towards research excellence and national development, the initiative expanded in subsequent years with additional centres established in several polytechnics and colleges of education.
In 2024, however, the federal government threatened to stop funding some of the centres over poor performance.
Tahir Mamman, then minister of education, said the government would not continue to reward indolence.
