Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has threatened to delist tertiary institutions which fail to properly utilise funds allocated to them for intervention projects.
Its executive secretary. Sonny Echono, gave the warning in Abuja at a two-day strategic workshop for directors of physical planning, academic planning, and Information Communication Technology (ICT) drawn from schools benefitting from the Fund.
Echono said the workshop reflects the Fund’s commitment to reinforcing the country’s tertiary education system by closing gaps in its processes and procedures, particularly through a better understanding of its intervention guidelines.
He emphasised that TETFund would not stand idly by while some institutions fall short of expectations.
“Let me reiterate that institutions which fail to access, utilise or retire funds in accordance with TETFund guidelines or that underperform in key academic or operational benchmarks may face delisting as beneficiaries.
“This policy is not punitive but rather a mechanism to safeguard the integrity and effectiveness of our interventions,” he said.
Echono explained that the primary aim of the gathering was to build the capacity of key personnel responsible for planning, implementation, and monitoring of TETFund-supported projects.
“Our aim is to ensure that every institution represented here is well equipped to align more effectively with the Fund’s operational procedures for greater efficiency, accountability, and developmental impact.
“This engagement is more than a routine meeting: it is a strategic convergence designed to address recurring implementation bottlenecks, improve compliance, and enhance institutional performance.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the gains from TETFund interventions are not only sustained but amplified through timely and judicious utilisation of resources,” he added.
Echono also highlighted strategic priorities that will shape the Fund’s direction in 2025 and beyond.
On the agency’s Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS), he said TETFund had earlier suspended foreign training component effective January 1, 2025.
“First, regarding the Academic Staff Training and Development (AST&D) intervention, as you are all aware, the Fund has suspended the foreign training component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS), effective January 1, 2025.
“This difficult decision was necessitated by the rising costs of overseas training and incidences of scholar abscondment. However, our commitment to building local academic capacity remains strong. We will continue to support rigorous local postgraduate programmes and professional development initiatives that deliver value at sustainable cost,” Echono said.
He also reaffirmed the Fund’s focus on research and innovation, noting increased funding for various initiatives.
“Second, research and innovation remain central to our mandate. For 2025, we have scaled up funding to the National Research Fund (NRF), the Research and Innovation Fund, and the Triple Helix Model for research-industry collaboration.
“These initiatives are expected to generate practical solutions to national problems, particularly in technology, agriculture and healthcare, while fostering commercialisation and cross-institutional partnerships,” Echono stated.
The workshop, which was also held across the country’s six geopolitical zones, included paper presentations and question-and-answer sessions.
