The Federal Government has directed all tertiary institutions across Nigeria to submit detailed reports on unutilised intervention funds received from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) within 30 days, warning that sanctions await defaulters.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, issued the directive on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with heads of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Alausa expressed concern over the growing number of TETFund allocations left unspent by institutions, saying the delay has hindered both infrastructural and academic development in the nation’s higher education sector.
“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,” Alausa stated.
He emphasized that all procurement plans must align strictly with approved interventions and urged institutions to accelerate approval processes to prevent unnecessary project delays.
To improve accountability, the minister revealed plans for quarterly compliance reviews and capacity-building sessions aimed at strengthening project management and reporting systems.
Additionally, the Federal Government is developing a public transparency dashboard that will display disbursement and utilisation data, alongside a requirement for institutions to publish regular project progress updates.
“TETFund must enforce compliance and ensure transparency, while institutional heads should drive urgency and accountability,” Alausa added.
TETFund had earlier voiced its concern over the rising volume of unaccessed and unutilised funds, warning that defaulting institutions risk losing their allocations. As of July 2025, the agency had threatened to delist non-compliant schools and reallocate their funds to institutions with a proven record of prompt utilisation.
Under the 2025 intervention cycle, TETFund earmarked ₦1.6 trillion for projects across Nigerian tertiary institutions, covering campus security, direct interventions, and healthcare infrastructure.
