The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced it recently received ₦1.6 trillion, which will be channeled into various strategic interventions across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Chairman of the TETFund governing board and former Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, revealed this during a press briefing on Sunday in Katsina. He explained that the allocation—one of the highest in recent times—was generated from the 3% education tax on company profits, in accordance with the TETFund Act.
Out of the total sum, ₦460 billion, representing 40% of the fund, has been designated for direct institutional interventions across the country’s higher education landscape. Under this initiative, each state will have three benefiting institutions: one university, one polytechnic, and one college of education.
“These interventions are demand-driven. Institutions submit proposals, and we assess and approve them based on priority needs and available funding,” Masari said.
Additionally, ₦225 billion has been allocated to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) in support of the Federal Government’s student loan scheme. Another ₦70 billion has been earmarked to help tertiary institutions develop renewable energy solutions such as solar and gas-powered electricity systems.
To bolster campus safety, TETFund also allocated ₦25 billion specifically for security projects. These include the installation of streetlights and other essential safety infrastructure.
Masari highlighted that over ₦100 billion has been dedicated to improving medical sciences education in Nigerian tertiary institutions. This intervention, he said, is part of a broader federal effort to address the critical shortage of medical professionals caused by the increasing emigration of healthcare workers.
“The president is deeply concerned about the ongoing brain drain in the health sector and is determined to reverse the trend through deliberate funding policies like these,” Masari stated.
According to him, three tertiary institutions from each geopolitical zone have received ₦4 billion each for the expansion of medical training facilities and infrastructure. The goal is to significantly increase the number of trained doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and other healthcare professionals.
Masari added that TETFund carries out annual state and zonal interventions, ensuring equitable distribution of support across the nation through impactful, high-value projects.
He assured Nigerians that the fund has a strong monitoring and evaluation framework in place, supported by independent consultants, to ensure all funds are applied strictly to approved and verifiable projects.
