The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has issued a stern warning to its beneficiary institutions, stating that those failing to meet performance benchmarks or mismanaging allocated funds risk being delisted from its support programmes.
This warning was delivered by TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arch. Sonny Echono, during a one-day strategic engagement with heads of institutions, bursars, and procurement officers of beneficiary institutions, held in Abuja on Monday.
Echono clarified that the move is not intended to penalize institutions but to protect the integrity and impact of TETFund interventions. “Institutions that consistently fail to access, utilize or retire funds appropriately, or fall short of enrollment and academic performance thresholds, risk being delisted as TETFund beneficiary institutions,” he stated.
He emphasized that the Fund is focused on channeling resources to institutions committed to good governance, transparency, and accountability. The engagement, he said, was convened to tackle recurring challenges in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, improve project execution, and enhance education quality.
A key issue discussed was the Academic Staff Training and Development (AST&D) intervention. Citing rising training costs and increased cases of scholars absconding, Echono announced the suspension of the foreign component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) as of January 1, 2025. The focus will now shift to locally driven, cost-effective training for academic staff.
“This decision was not made lightly,” he said, “but it reflects a need for a sustainable and practical approach to academic development. The Fund remains committed to building capacity through high-quality, local professional development.”
In line with its 2025 intervention budget, Echono said TETFund is prioritizing project consolidation, sustainability, and the completion of abandoned projects. He called for collective responsibility, transparency, and dialogue, urging institutions to improve their governance and compliance practices.
The executive secretary also highlighted the Fund’s expanded investments in research, including enhanced allocations to the National Research Fund, the Research and Innovation Fund, and the Triple Helix (Research for Industry) model.
“This engagement is a call to action,” he added, “to recommit to best practices, strengthen accountability, and ensure TETFund’s legacy remains impactful and equitable for generations.”
Dr. Joshua Atah, who represented the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, commended TETFund for convening the engagement. He highlighted its importance in reviewing the implementation and impact of TETFund-supported projects in higher institutions.
Atah acknowledged TETFund’s role in improving infrastructure, research, staff development, and academic quality, stressing that without its support, public tertiary education would be at risk. He also praised the Fund’s flexibility, especially in redirecting resources from suspended international scholarships.
He called on institutions to show greater responsiveness, especially in the design and execution of interventions to ensure their relevance and impact, and urged the judicious and timely use of funds to prevent forfeiture.
“This requires open, constructive dialogue and a shared responsibility to ensure that our education system evolves effectively,” Atah concluded.
ADEOLA KUNLE
