The Federal Government has given tertiary institutions in Nigeria 30 days to account for unspent Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocations, warning that any idle funds will be reallocated, and officials found guilty of non-compliance will face sanctions.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, issued the directive in Abuja on Thursday during a meeting with heads of tertiary institutions. He said the ministry is worried about the large sums of money lying idle instead of being used for infrastructure and academic development.
Alausa explained that the Federal Ministry of Education has faced a dilemma over allocations that are not being fully utilised, stating that several projects meant to improve tertiary education have been delayed due to administrative bottlenecks. “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,” he said.
The minister’s directive follows repeated concerns raised by TETFund over the huge amount of unused allocations in various universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across the country. In July, the Fund had threatened to delist institutions that failed to access and use their allocations, warning that such money would instead be given to schools that have been consistent in accessing and utilising disbursements.
Although TETFund did not disclose the total amount of unused allocations, the House of Representatives Committee on TETFund revealed in August 2024 that about N500 billion was still lying idle in the Central Bank of Nigeria. Similarly, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) stated during a meeting convened by the TETFund Board of Trustees in Abuja that over N600 billion worth of allocations remain unutilised by institutions.
Dr Alausa added that the Federal Government will introduce capacity-building programmes to strengthen project management, compliance, and reporting across tertiary institutions. He also said mentorship initiatives would be implemented to guide institutions on effective fund utilisation.
According to him, quarterly reviews will be conducted to track progress and ensure compliance, while sanctions will be imposed on institutions that fail to utilise their funds properly. “Transparency will be enhanced through a public dashboard showing disbursement and utilisation data, and institutions will be required to publish project progress reports,” the minister stated.
Alausa stressed that the success of the initiative will depend on cooperation among all key 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,” he said.
The allocation of TETFund resources is based on demand-driven interventions, where institutions submit project proposals based on their needs and receive funding after approval. In 2025, TETFund allocated N1.6 trillion to tertiary institutions across Nigeria, focusing on campus security, direct interventions, and healthcare improvements.
The immediate past President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and a member of the union’s National Executive Council, Prof Victor Osodeke, called for firm disciplinary measures against heads of institutions who fail to deploy allocated intervention funds.
He emphasised that such negligence undermines TETFund’s core mandate to enhance teaching, learning, and research infrastructure in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. “There’s a huge sum of money in the Central Bank belonging to institutions that have not been utilised. The last time we checked, it was close to ₦600 billion. None of the universities or Vice-Chancellors responsible for this has been punished,” Osodeke said.
“This is public money given to universities over the years. Some have had the funds for 10 to 15 years without using them, and several projects have been abandoned. Measures must be put in place to ensure accountability among university administrators and governing councils,” he added.