THE Federal Government has instructed tertiary institutions in the country to submit reports of intervention funds from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETfund) that have not been utilised within the next thirty days.
News Point Nigeria reports that addressing heads of tertiary institutions at a meeting in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the ministry has been faced with a dilemma over the issue of allocations that are not being put to good use.
He explained that resources that could have been used to develop infrastructure in institutions have remained idle due to avoidable bottlenecks.
The minister also announced that capacity-building programmes will be introduced to strengthen project management, compliance, and reporting, alongside mentorship initiatives, while quarterly reviews will be introduced to track progress and compliance, with sanctions for institutions that fail to utilise funds effectively.
“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,” Alausa said.
Transparency will be enhanced through a public dashboard showing disbursement and utilisation data, and institutions will be required to publish project progress reports.
Alausa also emphasised that the success of this initiative depends on strong collaboration among stakeholders.
“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.
“Auditors and oversight bodies are expected to monitor activities and flag irregularities. All stakeholders must uphold a sense of stewardship, recognising that every TETFund naira represents public trust,” Alausa said.
This directive is coming as no surprise, as TETFund has repeatedly expressed concern over the significant amount of unused allocations by higher institutions in Nigeria.
In July 2025, TETFund threatened to delist institutions that fail to access and utilise their allocations, emphasising that the funds would be diverted to institutions that are up to date with accessing and utilising disbursements.
The allocation of TETFund resources is based on demand-driven interventions, where institutions submit proposals for projects based on their needs, and TETFund approves them accordingly.
In 2025, TETFund allocated ₦1.6 trillion to Nigerian tertiary institutions, with a focus on campus security, direct intervention, and healthcare.