The Federal Government of Nigeria has directed all tertiary institutions across the country to provide detailed reports on intervention funds received from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) that have remained unutilised. The directive, which must be complied with within 30 days, was issued to address lingering inefficiencies and ensure the judicious use of public resources meant for educational development.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with heads of tertiary institutions, stressing that the government can no longer tolerate situations where funds allocated for institutional growth remain idle due to administrative or procedural bottlenecks.
According to Alausa, the Ministry of Education has observed recurring challenges regarding unspent TETFund allocations in several universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. He noted that these unutilised resources could have been deployed to upgrade infrastructure, improve research output, and enhance the overall learning environment.
“Institutions must submit reconciled reports of all unutilised funds within 30 days, which will be jointly verified. Unused funds may be redirected to priority projects, and carrying them over without strong justification will no longer be allowed. Procurement plans must align with approved interventions, and approvals should be fast-tracked to prevent delays,” the minister said.
Dr. Alausa further explained that the government will introduce capacity-building programmes to strengthen institutional project management, compliance, and accountability. These will include mentorship initiatives and quarterly reviews aimed at tracking utilisation progress. Institutions that fail to adhere to these directives may face sanctions, he warned.
To promote transparency, the Ministry plans to launch a public dashboard where data on fund disbursements and utilisation will be displayed. Universities, polytechnics, and colleges will also be required to publish periodic progress reports detailing the status of projects funded through TETFund.
Okay News reports that Dr. Alausa emphasised the need for collaboration among all relevant stakeholders to make the initiative successful. “TETFund must lead with professionalism, enforce compliance, and ensure transparency. Institutional heads should drive urgency and accountability, while bursars, procurement officers, and project coordinators must plan and report diligently,” he stated.
He also highlighted the importance of proper oversight and monitoring, adding that auditors and regulatory agencies have been tasked with identifying and reporting irregularities. “All stakeholders must uphold a sense of stewardship, recognising that every TETFund naira represents public trust,” Alausa added.
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, established to provide supplementary support to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria, has consistently expressed concern over the slow utilisation of its allocations. Earlier in July 2025, the agency warned that institutions failing to access or utilise their funds could be delisted and their allocations redirected to other compliant institutions.
In the 2025 fiscal year, TETFund earmarked about ₦1.6 trillion for various projects across Nigerian tertiary institutions. The funds were targeted at enhancing campus security, infrastructure, research, and healthcare services under a demand-driven model where institutions propose their most pressing needs for intervention.
Education analysts have lauded the government’s renewed effort to monitor utilisation, describing it as a vital step towards accountability and better outcomes in Nigeria’s higher education sector. Stakeholders believe that proper management of these allocations could bridge existing infrastructural gaps and elevate the country’s academic standards.
