Tag: TETFUND

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has sponsored no fewer than 185 teaching and non-teaching workers of Modibbo Adama University (MAU) Yola for training programmes.

Its vice-chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Umar, stated this at a news conference marking the 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremony on Tuesday in Yola.

He said many other workers were presently undergoing various local and international training.

“We have been working assiduously on staff welfare and capacity building as integral parts of our overall reform agenda.

“We have introduced interest-free loans, burial financial support for families of staff who die in active service.

“At this juncture, I want to most sincerely thank the Federal Government, the Adamawa Government, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), security agencies, all our partners, the National Assembly”, he said.

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Umar further said the university, during the period under review, graduated a total of 7,094 with 116 first class, 1,798 second class upper, 2,978 second class lower, 809 third class and three pass.

He also appreciated the National University Commission (NUC) for the recent approval of 20 new academic programmes courses.

The VC said that in line with the programme for the ceremony, there would be a pre-convocation lecture tomorrow by Prof. Umaru Pate, Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State.

“The title of his lecture is, “Building Trust Amidst Conflict Communication, Leadership and the Promise of Peaceful Coexistence in Nigeria,” he said

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to share N6.452 billion to 271 tertiary institutions under its 2026 intervention cycle to strengthen critical physical infrastructure and enhance academic programmes.

The money is also expected to boost research and innovation and drive overall transformation in the tertiary education sector.

The disbursement guidelines were approved by President Bola Tinubu.

According to the guidelines, the funds would be released directly to over 271 beneficiary institutions across the country.

Under the 2026 intervention cycle, the agency will disburse N2.525 billion to each beneficiary University as an annual direct intervention, while polytechnics would receive N1.871 billion each and Colleges of Education would get N2.056 billion each.

Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono gave the details on Tuesday in Abuja during a strategic stakeholders’ meeting with heads of beneficiary institutions on the 2026 disbursement guidelines.

During the programme, allocation letters for the 2026 intervention were also distributed to the institutions.

Echono said the total annual direct disbursement accounted for approximately 90.75 per cent of the funds, with annual direct disbursements at 50 per cent and special direct disbursements at 43.75 per cent.

He commended President Tinubu for his timely approval of the 2026 Disbursement Guidelines and for his steadfast commitment to the repositioning of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Echono noted, “All universities, regardless of age, size, or enrolment, will receive N2,525,932,228.02 per university, all polytechnics will receive N1,871,059,920.53 each, and all Colleges of Education will receive N2,056,527,973.04 each.

“These funds are meant to strengthen critical physical infrastructure, enhance academic programmes, boost research and innovation, and drive overall transformation in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.”

The executive secretary said the funds were meant to strengthen the quality and impact of research in beneficiary institutions.

According to him, in an attempt to further strengthen the quality and impact of research in the beneficiary institutions, TETFund has introduced a new Intervention Line in the Year 2026 annual direct intervention, which is the Nigerian Research and Education Network (Ng REN).

“This new intervention line aims to improve access to global academic resources and to integrate the Tertiary Education, Research, Applications and Services (TERAS) platform into NgREN with effect from the 2026 intervention.

“With these investments, 2026 promises to be a year of growth, innovation, and measurable impact,” the executive secretary stated.

Speaking further, Echono noted that the agency would continue to equip and upgrade research and development (R&D) offices, laboratories, and workshops.

He added that student exposure programmes will be strengthened through private-sector partnerships and direct construction initiatives.

Echono said, “We are sustaining interventions in security infrastructure and training, completing long-abandoned projects, and enhancing design-technical relationships.

“Research and innovation remain priorities, with support for the National Research Fund, the Research Meets Industry initiative, and the commercialisation of research outcomes. ICT development also remains a key focus. Multiple research labs are under development.

“Four are expected to be completed and commissioned this year, and two more have recently commenced, with completion scheduled for next year. In agriculture, we are transitioning large university farms to modern greenhouses and equipment to improve productivity and reduce labour intensity.

“Our ICT roadmap will be strengthened through expanded digital services, experience centres, substation-based internet access, and advanced international education, research and application services. We are also conducting assessments of how institutions use their resources, which will inform discretionary budget allocations. Performance will guide additional allocations.”

He further urged all heads of institutions to fully utilise their 2025 allocations, saying that the Fund will base future allocations on performance, enrolment, and demonstrated progress.

“Institutions with unutilised funds will not receive additional allocations until existing resources are fully deployed. We are promoting knowledge sharing, supporting initiatives that enhance skills, and ensuring prompt payment to contractors.

“Applications for fund releases will be processed quickly, and contractors will be paid within two weeks of milestone completion to avoid delays,” he added.

The executive secretary of TETFund highlighted some challenges faced during the 2025 intervention cycle, including undue delays in processing projects for approval in principle and obtaining due process for implementation, which is worrisome.

Echono, therefore, advised beneficiary institutions to execute their procurement planning processes early enough to avoid these delays.

He added, “Also worrisome is the slow and reluctant utilisation of the TERAS platform with all its associated services by some beneficiary institutions.

“The Fund will be paying closer attention to this in the year 2026. The Fund also expects better documentation and knowledge of its guidelines for its training and content intervention lines.”

The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has taken delivery of 20 electric tricycles from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund).

The gesture is aimed at assisting the university to ease its transportation challenges, Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Wahab Egbewole has said.

He appreciated the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the assistance.

He reiterated the  commitment of the university to resolving the transportation challenges on campus with the official unveiling of five new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and the electric tricycles.

He said that the university was still expecting the delivery of additional CNG buses as earlier promised.

Prof Egbowole said this during the unveiling ceremony held at the university’s new park.

explained that the transportation difficulties experienced in 2025 were largely a consequence of the relocation of the university motor park, a decision he described as deliberate, strategic, and necessary for the long-term development of the institution.        

While acknowledging that the decision initially came with challenges and resistance, the vice-chancellor explained that the relocation was undertaken to protect the master plan of the university and to position the institution on the path of becoming a world-class university with full control over its processes, systems, and procedures.

Prof. Egbewole, who is also the Secretary General of the Association of West Africa Universities (AWAU), expressed confidence that in the long run, members of the university community would be proud of the decision, adding that significant improvements had already been made at the new park and that plans were in place to further develop the area, including the construction of a shopping mall within the park before the end of the year.

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He also attributed some of the transportation challenges to issues of attitude and coordination rather than the absence of vehicles, noting his personal commitment to monitoring operations at the park, as he is often on ground as early as 6:00 a.m everyday to ensure compliance and efficiency.

He pointed out that the ultimate goal of the transport reform was to ensure total control over vehicles operating on campus, effective fleet management, and improved connectivity within the university.

He added that under the new arrangement, transport operators would be brought under the university’s supervision to guarantee punctuality and reliability, particularly during peak hours.

Prof. Egbewole applauded the students for their orderliness and consistent support for the university system, noting that at no time did they exhibit any negative disposition towards the institution.

The vice-chancellor acknowledged the support of Starlink Global & Ideal Limited that provided a ₦200 million intervention to the university in July last year that was channelled towards addressing the transportation challenges.

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is set to develop a comprehensive security master plan to tighten security of tertiary institutions nationwide.

The Chairman, Board of trustees (TETFund),  Aminu Masari, said this at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop aimed at the development of a security master plan for tertiary institutions in Abuja on Tuesday.

Masari outlined the various threats faced by tertiary institutions, including banditry, kidnapping, and cyber intrusion.

He said the master plan aimed to enhance threat prevention, detection, and response capabilities.

According to him, discussions around the workshop will cover various aspects of campus security, including intelligence gathering and emergency response mechanisms.

He canvassed  shared responsibility of campus security among government, security agencies, administrators, students, staff, and communities.

He described the workshop as a critical national document that would shape campus security policies and operations.

“What we begin here today is not merely another conference. It is a foundational step in developing a comprehensive, forward looking security master plan for tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

“This master plan is expected to establish a security of time framework for all time sharing institutions to transcend institutional capacity for threat prevention, detection, mitigation and response.

“It is to promote intelligence led security operations and proactive risk management, protect students, staff, facilities, infrastructure and intellectual assets.

“We intend to deepen collaboration between institutions, security agencies and host communities institutionalised emergency preparedness, crisis management and business continuity protocols and integrate modern, physical and digital security technologies into campus operation,” he said.

According to him, these deliberations are not theoretical, adding that they form the building blocks of the national framework that will guide campus security policies, investments and operations for years to come.

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 The Executive Secretary,  TETFund, Sonny Echono, said  some campuses were porous making them attractive targets for criminals.

Echono recalled a previous mapping exercise to identify high-risk areas and establish emergency response mechanisms.

He said there was the need to interface with various agencies and units in case of a security breach and ensuring clear communication channels.

He also stressed the importance of having clear communication channels to alert and respond to security breaches, involving agencies like the military, police, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“We need to sensitise each and every one of you that this risk is real. There are criminal elements  who want to invade our campuses because they provide a particular attraction as a result of huge collection of vulnerable people.

“This is not helped by the fact that some of our institutions are so porous they can easily be invaded,” he said .