The Federal Government has blamed weak administrative structures for the ineffective use of resources in Nigerian tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The revelation came from the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, while speaking at the 2025 Annual Directors’ Conference of the Chartered Institute of Directors (CIOD) in Abuja.
Dr Alausa explained that the problem is not a lack of academic expertise but a shortfall in managerial capacity among the leadership of these institutions.
He noted that vice chancellors, rectors, and provosts often lack the systems training required to deploy institutional resources efficiently and in line with modern management practices.
“I don’t mind laundering our own dirty linen in public. Our tertiary institutions, universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education need more systems training to move them to 21st-century ways of managing institutions,” the minister said.
- He revealed that over a 25-year period from 1999 to 2024, more than N675 billion allocated for infrastructure, instructional capacity, and laboratories remained idle. According to Dr Alausa, the funds were largely overlooked and not even invested to generate returns, highlighting systemic failures in institutional management.
- The minister urged professional bodies such as CIOD to provide guidance on modernising the administration of tertiary institutions and assured that the federal government would cooperate in implementing recommended reforms.
He stressed that effective administration, guided by evidence-based policies and outcomes, is essential to reposition Nigeria’s tertiary education sector to meet 21st-century standards.
Fund accountability
Earlier this month, the federal government directed all tertiary institutions to submit detailed reports of unutilised Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocations within 30 days, warning that idle funds may be withdrawn and reassigned to priority projects.
Dr Tunji Alausa emphasised that funds which remain idle will be redirected, and rollovers without strong justification will no longer be allowed. The minister also announced plans to launch a public dashboard showing disbursement and utilisation data, and to begin quarterly institutional reviews tied to compliance and project execution.
What you should know
TETFund recently received N1.6 trillion in allocations, the highest in recent years, funded by the three percent education tax on company profits. The board explained that 40%, or N460 billion, was earmarked for interventions across tertiary institutions nationwide, with three institutions selected in each state: a university, a polytechnic, and a college of education.
From this, N225 billion was released to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, N70 billion for energy support, and N25 billion for campus security projects.
They added that over N100 billion has been spent to strengthen medical sciences training, aiming to expand the number of healthcare professionals. Three institutions in each geopolitical zone have received N4 billion each for medical sciences expansion and infrastructure projects.