In a significant development for Nigeria’s higher education sector, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has publicly commended the administration of President Bola Tinubu for its swift processing and approval of critical funding allocations. This expedited support is poised to accelerate infrastructural and academic development across the nation’s universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, made the appreciation known during the Fund’s 2025 management retreat in Yola, Adamawa State. The retreat, themed “Advancing TETFund Mandate For Efficient Service Delivery In Beneficiary Institutions,” served as a strategic planning session to optimize the implementation of these funds.
Echono revealed an unprecedented level of administrative efficiency, noting that intervention guidelines for the 2026 fiscal year have already received presidential approval. “As I am speaking, even the 2026 intervention guidelines have been approved by Mr President, so we are ready to hit the ground running,” he stated. This forward-looking approval is a departure from past delays and allows institutions to plan and initiate projects well in advance, potentially reducing costs and improving outcomes.
The Critical Role of TETFund in Sustaining Tertiary Education
The commendation from TETFund’s leadership underscores a vital partnership. TETFund, established by the TETFund Act of 2011, is financed by a 2% education tax levied on the assessable profit of all registered companies in Nigeria. Its mandate is to provide supplementary support for the rehabilitation, restoration, and consolidation of tertiary education. The speed of disbursement from the government is therefore a direct catalyst for on-the-ground progress.
Echoing the Fund’s indispensability, Prof. Ibrahim Umar, Vice Chancellor of Modibbo Adama University (MAU), Yola, offered a stark assessment: “Without TETFund funds, many institutions would have collapsed.” This sentiment highlights how TETFund has become the financial lifeline for public tertiary institutions, funding libraries, laboratories, lecture halls, and academic staff training and development where regular government budgets often fall short.
Beyond Infrastructure: Emerging Challenges and Appeals
While celebrating the timely approvals, beneficiary institutions used the platform to appeal for an expansion of TETFund’s intervention scope to address pressing, non-traditional challenges. Their appeals reveal the complex environment in which these institutions operate:
- Security: Prof. Umar and Mohammed Dagereji, Provost of the Federal College of Education (FCE), Yola, explicitly appealed for aid in tackling security challenges, including the kidnapping of lecturers. This points to a dire need for perimeter fencing, modern security systems, and possibly crisis management protocols to protect academic communities.
- Core Utilities: Appeals were also made for support in areas like road networks within campuses, reliable power supply, and robust internet services. These are no longer mere conveniences but fundamental utilities required for modern research, digital learning, and administrative efficiency.
These appeals suggest a necessary evolution in TETFund’s role—from a builder of physical structures to an enabler of a safe and digitally connected academic ecosystem.
Accountability and Forward Momentum
In response to the consistent support, Prof. Augustine Clement, Vice Chancellor of Adamawa State University, assured TETFund of the continued judicious use of allocated funds. This assurance of accountability is crucial for maintaining the trust that enables such speedy approvals from the government.
The retreat culminated in the inauguration of completed TETFund projects at Modibbo Adama University, a tangible demonstration of the cycle of approval, implementation, and delivery. The combined message from Yola is clear: expedited funding approvals from the Tinubu administration, when met with strategic implementation by TETFund and accountable use by institutions, can significantly advance the mandate of revitalizing Nigeria’s tertiary education sector and addressing its evolving challenges.
