The Federal Government has ordered all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to submit detailed reports of unutilised intervention funds received from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) within the next 30 days. The directive is aimed at stopping delays in project execution and ensuring that public resources are efficiently deployed.
The Minister of Education, during a meeting with heads of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in Abuja, expressed concern over idle funds that remain tied to abandoned or delayed projects. He noted that capital lying unused in institutional accounts could have supported urgent infrastructure needs in other institutions.
Institutions are expected to provide reconciled reports of outstanding balances, which will be jointly verified. Any funds not backed by strong justification may be recalled and redirected to priority projects. The minister warned that carrying over allocations year after year will no longer be permitted.
He emphasised that procurement processes must align strictly with approved interventions, and institutions must fast-track internal approvals to avoid prolonged delays. To support this, the ministry plans to introduce capacity-building programmes focused on project management, compliance, and reporting. Mentorship initiatives will equally be launched to assist institutions struggling with fund utilisation.
Quarterly review mechanisms will be set up to monitor progress, with sanctions awaiting any institution that consistently fails to deploy its allocations. A public transparency dashboard will soon be created to display real-time data on disbursement and project implementation. Institutions will also be required to openly publish updates on ongoing TETFund projects.
The minister urged stronger collaboration across all stakeholders in the education sector. He stated that TETFund must enforce compliance with professionalism, while institutional heads must champion accountability. Bursars, procurement officers, and project coordinators are to ensure timely planning and accurate reporting, while auditors and oversight bodies must actively flag irregularities.
This renewed effort follows earlier warnings from TETFund over the growing volume of unused allocations. In mid-2025, the agency threatened to delist institutions that fail to access or utilise their approved funds, stressing that such resources would be diverted to more compliant institutions.
TETFund’s intervention model is demand-driven, requiring institutions to present needs-based project proposals before approval. In 2025 alone, TETFund allocated approximately ₦1.6 trillion to tertiary institutions, prioritising campus security, direct infrastructural improvements, and healthcare facilities.
Sector analysts say better utilisation of TETFund resources is critical not only for education development but also for Nigeria’s wider economic ecosystem. Efficient deployment of these funds can boost construction, local contracting, consulting services, and supply chains, creating opportunities for SMEs that provide goods and services to institutions.
