The Federal Government has directed all public tertiary schools across Nigeria to fully utilise their unspent education intervention funds within 30 days or face sanctions for non-compliance.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Education on Friday, October 10, 2025, and signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
The announcement followed a strategic meeting in Abuja, chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, with Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, Bursars, and Procurement Officers in attendance.
Dr. Alausa condemned the persistent failure of tertiary schools to put their allocations to proper use, describing it as a major obstacle to national development. He said the practice of leaving intervention funds idle would no longer be tolerated.
“This meeting is not for blame games but to move forward collectively,” he said. “Resources that could have been used to transform our classrooms, laboratories, and libraries have remained idle for years due to bureaucratic bottlenecks. That must change now. Institutions must submit reconciled reports of all unutilised funds within 30 days. Any unused funds will be redirected to priority projects, and carrying them over without strong justification will no longer be allowed.”
The Minister decried the huge amounts lying dormant in the Central Bank of Nigeria, warning that such neglect deprives students of improved learning facilities. He also revealed that some allocations have remained untouched since the 1990s, calling it an unacceptable waste of public resources.
To strengthen compliance, Dr. Alausa said the Ministry will roll out new mentorship and capacity-building programmes for heads of schools, bursars, and project coordinators. The focus, he explained, will be on better project management, procurement planning, and timely reporting.
He disclosed that the Ministry would begin quarterly performance reviews to monitor the use of funds and impose penalties on defaulters. Plans are also underway to launch a public transparency dashboard that will display Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) disbursement and utilisation data.
“Every TETFund naira represents public trust. We owe it to Nigerians to ensure that these resources are spent efficiently and visibly,” Dr. Alausa stated.
The Minister reaffirmed that TETFund will adopt a result-based funding model to ensure that allocations translate into tangible impact. He urged bursars, procurement officers, and auditors to take full responsibility for safeguarding the integrity of disbursement processes.
“TETFund must lead with professionalism and transparency. Heads must drive urgency and accountability, while oversight bodies must diligently monitor and flag irregularities. Every stakeholder must recognise their stewardship in managing these funds for national benefit,” he added.
According to the Ministry, TETFund allocated ₦1.6 trillion to public tertiary schools in 2025, with emphasis on campus security, healthcare infrastructure, and direct development projects. Future allocations, it said, will favour schools that show full and timely utilisation of their funds.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Abel Olamuyiwa Enitan, represented by the Director of University Education, Hajiya Rakiya G. Iliyasu, described the issue of unutilised funds as a national emergency that requires collective responsibility.
“The continued non-utilisation of funds undermines the quality of education and hinders national development,” she said. “This meeting is a call to action. Institutions must remove administrative bottlenecks, enhance coordination, and deliver tangible outcomes within defined timelines.”
The statement reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that education resources are used for measurable progress in the country’s tertiary schools. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ministry said it remains focused on improving infrastructure, learning environments, and sustainable development across the nation.
