No new projects for institutions with delayed projects — TETFund BoT

Masari blames bureaucracy, leadership changes for delays

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has barred beneficiary institutions with delayed intervention projects from securing approval for new projects under the Fund’s 2027 intervention cycle.

A statement released in Abuja on Wednesday by TETFund Director of Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi, indicated that the Chairman of the BoT, Aminu Bello Masari, announced the decision while expressing concern over the continued failure of some beneficiary institutions to complete TETFund-sponsored projects within approved timelines.

Masari said the Board would no longer tolerate delays in the delivery of projects funded through TETFund interventions.

He noted that some institutions had attributed the delays to volatility in the prices of key building materials, including cement, reinforcement bars, sanitary fittings and electrical fittings.

According to him, the Board responded to the challenge in 2023 by introducing a special intervention line dedicated to completing distressed projects.

He said the initiative had yielded positive results, with many of the affected projects subsequently completed.

However, Masari expressed concern over the recurrence of delays, identifying a lack of continuity in project implementation following changes in the leadership of beneficiary institutions, as well as delays in processing payments to contractors, as major factors responsible.

The BoT chairman warned that TETFund-sponsored projects must not be negatively affected by internal bureaucracy, administrative bottlenecks or politics within beneficiary institutions.

“To address the recurring problem, the BoT approved a number of measures for immediate implementation. Under the new directives, all beneficiary institutions are required to compile a comprehensive list of projects that have exceeded their planned completion periods by more than six months.

“The institutions are expected to state the causes of the delays and propose practical remedies for completing the projects. The projects must also be ranked according to relevance and priority, with detailed costing for their completion,” he said.

The Board further directed beneficiary institutions to establish robust and effective supervision teams, with the active participation of their Physical Planning and Maintenance Departments.

“The teams are expected to ensure that projects are delivered on schedule, within approved costs and to the specified quality standards,” it added.

The BoT also directed institutions with delayed projects to prioritise their completion under their annual, zonal and high-impact intervention lines.

“Consequently, no new projects will be admitted from identified beneficiary institutions under the 2027 intervention cycle until the outstanding projects are addressed.

“The Fund will also deploy monitoring teams comprising members of the BoT and technical staff to conduct on-the-spot assessments of the affected projects. The teams will examine proposals submitted by affected beneficiary institutions on programmes for completing the outstanding projects.

“The assessment exercises are scheduled to take place in August and September 2026, ahead of the BoT’s statutory meeting in October, where projects to be admitted under the 2027 disbursement guidelines will be considered.

“The measures are aimed at ending the recurring problem of delayed and distressed projects and ensuring that TETFund interventions deliver maximum value to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions,” the Board noted.