The Federal Government has directed all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to submit detailed reports on unutilised intervention funds received from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) within the next 30 days.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, issued the directive while addressing heads of tertiary institutions at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja. He noted that the Ministry is increasingly concerned about the volume of TETFund allocations that remain unused due to avoidable administrative bottlenecks.
According to the minister, these delays have hindered the timely development of critical infrastructure and services in the nation’s higher education sector. “Institutions must submit reconciled reports of all unutilised funds within 30 days, which will be jointly verified,” Dr. Alausa said. “Unused funds may be redirected to priority projects, and rollovers without strong justification will no longer be tolerated. Procurement plans must align with approved interventions, and approval processes must be fast-tracked to avoid unnecessary delays.”
To strengthen compliance and improve project outcomes, the Minister announced that capacity-building programmes will be introduced to equip institutional staff with the necessary skills in project management, compliance, and reporting. Mentorship initiatives will also be launched to support underperforming institutions. In addition, quarterly performance reviews will be conducted to monitor fund utilisation and project progress, and institutions that fail to meet utilisation benchmarks will face sanctions.
Transparency will also be a key focus. Dr. Alausa revealed plans to launch a public dashboard that will display disbursement and utilisation data for each institution. In line with this, all beneficiary institutions will be required to publish project progress reports regularly to ensure accountability and public visibility.
Dr. Alausa stressed that the success of these reforms depends on strong collaboration among all stakeholders. He emphasized that TETFund must lead with professionalism, enforce compliance, and maintain transparency. Institutional heads, he said, should take full responsibility for driving urgency and accountability within their respective institutions. Bursars, procurement officers, and project coordinators are expected to plan effectively and report accurately, while auditors and oversight bodies are charged with monitoring activities and flagging any irregularities.
“All stakeholders must demonstrate a strong sense of stewardship, understanding that every naira of TETFund support represents the trust of the Nigerian people,” Alausa stated.
This directive follows repeated warnings from TETFund over the persistent underutilisation of allocated funds by several tertiary institutions. In July 2025, the agency warned that it could delist non-compliant institutions, stating that unutilised funds may be redirected to more proactive institutions.
TETFund operates a demand-driven model, where institutions apply for funds based on specific project proposals, which are vetted and approved. However, many approved projects have reportedly stalled due to administrative inefficiencies or lack of capacity.
In 2025 alone, TETFund disbursed ₦1.6 trillion to tertiary institutions across Nigeria, prioritising key areas such as campus security, direct interventions, and healthcare infrastructure.
The latest government push is seen as part of a broader effort to ensure value for money, enhance educational infrastructure, and foster greater accountability in the management of public funds within Nigeria’s higher education system.
