Arc. Sunday S. T. Echono was born on 16 December 1962 in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State. A seasoned public administrator and professional architect, he is the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the latest in a series of leadership positions that include:

---

• Secretary, Implementation Committee on National Housing Policy (1991-1995)
• Secretary, Special Projects Task Force, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMW&H) (1992-1995)
• Secretary, Committee on Lands and Housing, FMW&H (1993-1995)
• Chief Executive Architect (1993-1994)
• Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary (1999)
• Head, Council Affairs and Parastatals, FMW&H (2003-2004)
• Secretary, Ministerial Tenders Board (2004-2005)
• Director of Procurement, Federal Ministries of Defence, Water Resources, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Power
• Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministries of Communication and Education

In 35 years of exemplary service, Arc. Echono has been at the centre of policy formulation and reform in the Nigerian Civil Service and its agencies, including:

• Review of Administrative Guidelines in the Nigerian Civil Service
• Harmonisation of Financial Regulations with the Public Procurement Act 2007
• National Housing and Urban Development Policies
• National Maintenance Policy
• National Building Code and Fire Safety Code
• Procurement Reforms and Due Process Guidelines for Nigeria
• Modernisation of the Nigerian Armed Forces
• Review of the Federal Government Projects Implementation Framework/Manual
• Agricultural Transformation Agenda (policy and implementation)
• National ICT Sector Roadmap and e-Government Master Plan
• Education for Change: A Ministerial Strategic Plan
• Revitalisation and repositioning of the teaching profession in Nigeria

A Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), he served as Honorary General Secretary from 2001 to 2003 and as Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee for two successive terms from 2009 to 2013. He reached the pinnacle of the profession as the 28th President of the NIA, serving from 2019 to 2021.

He is a founding member and trustee of the Procurement Professionals Association of Nigeria. He has received several awards of excellence and commendation from the Federal Government, including the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), and has presented over 50 papers at national and international fora.

He has also served on several boards and councils, including:

• Board of Architectural Education in Nigeria (BAE)
• Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON)
• National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA)
• International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
• Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST)
• Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)
• Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)
• Global Partnership for Education (GPE)

He has attended management courses and workshops at leading institutions worldwide, including Harvard Business School (USA), the University of Oxford (UK), the University of Cambridge (UK) and Columbia University (USA).

In addition to master’s degrees in Architecture, Business Administration (MBA) and Procurement Management, he is currently pursuing a PhD at the International School for Social and Business Studies (ISSBS), Celje, Slovenia.