THE Board of Trustees of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced that tertiary institutions with delayed or abandoned TETFund-funded projects will not be eligible to access new intervention projects under the 2027 allocation cycle unless they complete all outstanding projects.
News Point Nigeria reports that the directive was issued by the Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Aminu Masari, and conveyed in a statement released on Wednesday by the Fund’s Head of Public Relations, Abdulmumin Oniyangi.
Masari explained that the decision was aimed at addressing the persistent delays in the execution of intervention projects across beneficiary institutions.
According to him, the Board of Trustees had taken what he described as a “final stand” on the issue after observing that many institutions continued to fail to complete approved projects within the stipulated timelines.
“The Board of Trustees has taken a final stand on the issue of delay in completion of approved projects in all its beneficiary institutions, warning that affected institutions will not get approval to commence new projects in the 2027 allocation cycle,” Masari said.
He disclosed that the board had directed institutions with delayed projects to prioritise their completion using their Annual, Zonal and High Impact Intervention allocations.
“No new projects will be admitted from the identified beneficiary institutions for the 2027 intervention cycle,” he stated.
Masari acknowledged that external factors, particularly fluctuations in the prices of construction materials, had initially contributed to delays in project execution.
He explained that the board responded by introducing a special intervention line in 2023 to enable institutions complete affected projects, noting that the initiative had delivered significant results.
“The reasons given for the unacceptable development were volatility in market prices of key building materials like cement, reinforcement bars, sanitary and electrical fittings, among others. This informed the introduction of a new intervention line dedicated to completing the affected projects.
“A recent review confirmed that the initiative yielded the desired result as many of the affected projects have been completed following this intervention,” he said.
Despite the progress recorded, the TETFund chairman lamented that fresh cases of delayed projects were still emerging across beneficiary institutions.
He attributed the latest delays largely to institutional leadership and administrative bottlenecks rather than inadequate funding.
“The continued occurrence of non-adherence to stipulated timelines in completing TETFund-sponsored projects is unacceptable,” Masari said.
“Lack of continuity in project implementation by heads of beneficiary institutions who prefer to start new projects, as well as delays in processing payments to contractors handling the projects, are largely responsible for the avoidable development,” he added.
Masari stressed that projects financed by TETFund would no longer be allowed to suffer setbacks arising from internal bureaucracy and politics within beneficiary institutions.
To address the recurring challenge, he said the board had approved a series of measures that would take immediate effect.
“Under the new directive, all beneficiary institutions must compile comprehensive lists of projects that have exceeded their completion timelines by more than six months, identify the causes of the delays, and propose practical remedies.
“The institutions are also expected to rank the affected projects according to priority, provide detailed cost estimates required for their completion, and establish stronger project supervision mechanisms involving their Physical Planning and Maintenance Departments,” he said.
To ensure compliance, Masari disclosed that TETFund monitoring teams comprising board members and technical staff would conduct physical inspections of affected projects across beneficiary institutions in August and September 2026.
He added that inspection reports and proposals submitted by institutions would be reviewed during the board’s statutory meeting scheduled for October 2026, where projects eligible for inclusion in the 2027 disbursement guidelines would be considered.
“The inspection reports and proposals submitted by institutions would be reviewed during the board’s statutory meeting scheduled for October 2026, where projects eligible for inclusion in the 2027 disbursement guidelines would be considered,” he stated.
Established under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act, TETFund remains Nigeria’s foremost intervention agency responsible for financing infrastructure, research, academic staff training and development, library enhancement and other capital projects in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The Fund is financed through a dedicated education tax paid by registered companies operating in Nigeria.
Over the years, TETFund has invested hundreds of billions of naira in lecture theatres, laboratories, hostels, libraries, medical facilities, research centres and other specialised academic infrastructure across public tertiary institutions nationwide.
However, delayed project execution, abandoned construction works and frequent changes in institutional leadership have remained recurring concerns, prompting repeated calls by the Fund for stricter project monitoring and greater accountability.
The latest directive underscores TETFund’s renewed determination to ensure that intervention funds translate into completed, functional infrastructure that enhances teaching, learning and research, while preventing public resources from being tied down in abandoned or distressed projects.