The Nigerian Government has issued a 30-day ultimatum to all tertiary institutions to submit reconciled reports of unutilised allocations received from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), warning that idle funds will no longer be tolerated.
The directive, according to the government, aims to promote greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency in the management of TETFund interventions across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, gave the order on Thursday during a meeting with heads of federal tertiary institutions, bursars, and procurement directors on the issue of unspent TETFund allocations, held in Abuja.
Alausa stated that the Ministry, in collaboration with TETFund, will introduce new policy measures following the reconciliation exercise to ensure improved utilisation of funds and timely project delivery.
He underscored the critical importance of education to national development, saying, “Education remains the bedrock of national development. As a nation, we commit substantial resources to strengthening infrastructure, human capital, research, and the learning environment across our tertiary institutions. TETFund plays a pivotal role as the vehicle through which the Federal Government channels support to our universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.”
The minister, however, lamented the recurring issue of unutilised balances, describing them as a major setback to the government’s investment in the education sector.
“One recurring challenge that continues to undermine this investment is the existence of unutilised balances—funds released for specific projects that are either not deployed on time or not fully expended before new allocations are made,” he said.
“Over time, these idle funds represent lost opportunities—resources that could have improved laboratories, classrooms, ICT facilities, research centres, and faculty development but did not, due to delays, weak absorptive capacity, or accountability gaps.”
Alausa directed that institutions must submit reconciled reports of all unutilised funds within 30 days for joint verification, warning that unused funds may be redirected to priority projects.
He further stressed that carrying over funds without adequate justification will no longer be permitted, and that procurement processes must align strictly with approved intervention plans to avoid bureaucratic delays.
“Our collective goal is to ensure that every naira released for education is used efficiently and transparently to transform our institutions and empower our students,” he added.
To strengthen accountability, Alausa disclosed that capacity-building and mentorship programmes would soon be introduced to improve project management, compliance, and financial reporting within the tertiary education sector.
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