ister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, gave the directive on Thursday during a meeting with heads of institutions in Abuja. He warned that any institution that fails to justify unused allocations will face sanctions and possible fund reallocation.
Dr. Alausa lamented that many institutions have left critical infrastructure funds idle due to bureaucratic bottlenecks, undermining the government’s goal of revitalising Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
“The ministry has faced challenges with institutions not utilising their allocations. Going forward, unspent funds will no longer be carried over without clear justification. Institutions must submit reconciled reports of all unutilised funds within 30 days for joint verification. Unused funds may be redirected to priority projects,” Alausa stated.
The minister added that the Federal Government would introduce capacity-building and mentorship programmes to improve project management, compliance, and reporting in tertiary institutions. Quarterly reviews will track performance, and a public transparency dashboard will display disbursement and utilisation data for each institution.
TETFund had earlier raised concerns over the large volume of idle allocations. In July, the Fund threatened to delist non-compliant institutions and divert their allocations to those actively implementing approved projects.
While TETFund has not disclosed the total amount of idle funds, the House of Representatives Committee on TETFund revealed in August 2024 that about ₦500 billion remained unutilised in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Similarly, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) reported that over ₦600 billion worth of allocations were yet to be accessed by institutions.
Alausa stressed that accountability must now take centre stage. “TETFund must lead with professionalism, enforce compliance, and ensure transparency. Heads of institutions should drive urgency and accountability, while auditors must flag irregularities,” he said.
The minister further emphasised that all stakeholders must uphold public trust, adding that every TETFund naira represents an investment in Nigeria’s educational future.
Meanwhile, former ASUU President and member of the union’s National Executive Council, Professor Victor Osodeke, called for sanctions against vice-chancellors and institutional heads who have failed to utilise funds for approved projects.
“There’s a huge amount of money sitting idle in the CBN — close to ₦600 billion. Some institutions have held these funds for over 10 years without implementation. This negligence must stop,” Osodeke said.
He urged the government to ensure accountability, transparency, and timely execution of projects that improve teaching, learning, and research across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
