- Threatens to delist institutions for non-compliance with TETFund guidelines
By Gabriel Dike
The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, on Friday, read the riot act to heads of tertiary institutions to comply with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) directive or their schools would face sanctions.
Alausa also warned vice chancellors, rectors and provosts to stop the establishment of satellite campuses, construction of new Senate buildings and that institutions with less population of students would no longer benefit from TETFund intervention grant.
The education minister gave the warning to university VCs, polytechnic rectors and colleges of education provosts at a one-day strategic engagement with heads of beneficiary institutions, Bursars and heads of procurement in Lagos.
He used the occasion to defend the ministry’s stoppage of TETFund foreign sponsorship of lecturers abroad.
Alausa said, aside from the lack of foreign exchange problems, about 85 per cent of TETFund foreign-sponsored lecturers did not return after the completion of their training.
The education minister wondered why heads of institutions operate satellite campuses, thus wasting government resources instead of deploying them to needed areas.
His words: “Replication of mandate is unacceptable. Any institution found wanting will be stopped from getting TETFund intervention grant.”
Alausa also added that any institution with a smaller student population would not be allowed to benefit from the TETFund grant.
The education minister said satellite campuses were established for political reasons, many of the institutions replicated campuses in different places and were also producing poor quality graduates.
“This difficult but necessary step was taken to address the high costs of foreign training and the growing incidence of scholar abscondment.
“We remain firmly committed to strengthening domestic academic development initiatives, ensuring that our scholars continue to benefit from robust, high-impact training programmes within Nigeria,” Alausa stated.
According to him, eighteen universities have been identified to benefit from the SHIP initiative, which reflects the government’s broader goal of bridging the human resource gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system through targeted educational investments.
In his address, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said the meeting was designed to address recurring issues of concern, streamline project implementation and enhance the overall quality of tertiary education delivery.
“We stand at a critical juncture, where collective action, transparent processes and responsible governance can determine the future trajectory of our higher education institutions, ” he noted.
Echono said despite the suspension of foreign training, they remain committed to enhancing the skills and capacity of academic staff.
He stated: “The Fund continues to place emphasis on locally driven academic development programs and professional development, ensuring that our scholars can continue to receive top-tier training, albeit within a more manageable cost framework.”
The TETFund boss observed that the 2025 intervention cycles would focus on consolidation and sustainability.
He explained that the TETFund budget framework for 2025 is designed to prioritise the completion of ongoing projects, infrastructure rehabilitation and the further development of academic content.
“The allocation structure reflects this with a strong emphasis on maintenance works, innovation hubs and student entrepreneurship development.
“Notably, the physical infrastructure funds for 2025 are strictly earmarked for the renovation and completion of abandoned projects,” Echono added.