FG Orders Varsities, Polytechnics To Refund Unused TETFund Allocations

• Alausa warns against idle resources, sets 30-day deadline for compliance

The Federal Government has issued a 30-day ultimatum to all tertiary institutions across the country to reconcile and return unutilised allocations received from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, gave the directive on Thursday during a meeting with heads of tertiary institutions in Abuja, stressing that the government would no longer tolerate the delay in utilising funds meant for infrastructure and academic development.

Alausa, who expressed disappointment over the growing cases of idle TETFund resources in schools, noted that such inefficiency undermines the administration’s drive to revitalise the education sector.

“Our ministry has observed with concern that several institutions continue to hold on to funds without deploying them for approved projects,” Alausa said. “Henceforth, institutions must submit reconciled reports of all unutilised funds within 30 days. These will be jointly verified, and any unused funds may be redirected to priority projects. Carrying over allocations without strong justification will no longer be acceptable.”

The minister stated that new procurement guidelines and fast-tracked approval processes would be introduced to prevent bureaucratic delays, while procurement and project implementation plans must align strictly with approved TETFund interventions.

He added that the ministry would introduce capacity-building programmes for project managers, bursars, and procurement officers to strengthen compliance, accountability, and efficient project delivery.

According to him, quarterly reviews will be conducted to assess progress, and sanctions will be imposed on institutions that fail to utilise their allocations effectively.

In a move to deepen transparency, Alausa disclosed plans for the launch of a public dashboard displaying disbursement and utilisation data across institutions. He also mandated all tertiary institutions to publish their project progress reports regularly.

“TETFund must lead with professionalism and enforce compliance. Institutional heads should drive accountability and urgency, while auditors and oversight bodies must ensure that public funds are not mismanaged,” he said. “Every naira from TETFund represents public trust, and we must treat it with utmost responsibility.”

This directive comes months after TETFund warned it would delist institutions that repeatedly fail to access or utilise their allocated funds. In July 2025, the agency revealed that billions of naira remained unaccessed, even as several universities and polytechnics continued to request new interventions.

The TETFund allocation framework operates on a demand-driven model, where institutions submit proposals based on identified needs. Approved projects are then funded and monitored to ensure compliance.

Earlier this year, TETFund announced the disbursement of N1.6 trillion to tertiary institutions nationwide, focusing on security infrastructure, healthcare, and direct interventions to boost the learning environment.