The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has issued a strong warning to beneficiary institutions that fail to meet enrollment and academic performance benchmarks, or mismanage allocated funds, saying such lapses could lead to withdrawal of funding.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, delivered the warning on Monday during a one-day strategic engagement with heads of institutions, bursars, and procurement officers from TETFund-supported institutions.
Echono expressed concern over the inability of some institutions to access, utilize, and retire funds properly, stating that unspent allocations will be redirected to better-performing institutions. He also cited dwindling student enrollment in certain institutions as a worrying trend.
Giving example, Echono mentioned a polytechnic in the Southeast that has continued to access public funds despite having only 30 enrolled students over four years.
“This development is embarrassing, particularly for a region known for its strong educational culture, this kind of inefficiency undermines our mission and invites undue scrutiny from the presidency and the public,”he said.
Echono also criticized institutions that abandon inherited projects, attributing delays to past administrations.
“When you inherit an office, you inherit both assets and liabilities,” he emphasized. “Take ownership and collaborate with your communities to address infrastructure challenges.”
He acknowledged ongoing efforts to support healthcare education by providing hospital accommodation for medical students undergoing clinical rotations, and encouraged institutions to propose creative, accountable uses of TETFund support, assuring them of the government’s readiness to approve such initiatives.
On the proliferation of institutions, Echono justified expansion by referencing Nigeria’s growing youth population. “Young people make up nearly 60 percent of our population. If we don’t create space for them in higher education, the consequences will be dire,” he said.
READ ALSO: TETFund Announces N2.8bn Disbursement for Universities, N1.9bn for Polytechnics in 2025 Intervention Cycle
Regarding the suspension of the foreign component of the Academic Staff Training and Development (ASTD) scholarship, Echono said the Fund now aims to build local capacity by strengthening institutions and inviting international collaborations to bring programs home.
“Knowledge may be universal, but its application must be contextual. Our universities must not just be aspirational; they must be centres of excellence,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu—represented by National Project Coordinator Joshua Attah—commended TETFund’s impact on infrastructure, research, and academic quality across Nigeria.
Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, represented by Prof. Bashiru Hassan, called for open dialogue on procurement practices and institutional capacity, urging more transparency and efficiency in fund management.
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