TETFund approves intervention funds for 271 tertiary institutions …N2.53b per university, N1.9b per Poly, each CoE gets N2.1b
The federal government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has approved the disbursement of intervention funds to 271 tertiary institutions across Nigeria, including universities, polytechnics, and Colleges of Education.
Speaking at the annual disbursement meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, TETFund Executive Secretary Sunny Echono provided a detailed breakdown of the allocations.
According to him, each university will receive N2,525,932,228.02, polytechnics N1,871,059,920.53, and Colleges of Education N2,056,527,973.04.
Echono explained that the disbursement cycle was structured as follows: total direct disbursement accounted for 90.75 per cent comprising 50 per cent annual direct disbursement and 40.75 per cent special direct disbursement, while designated projects made up 9.07 per cent and stabilisation funds 0.18 per cent.
He expressed concern over delays by some institutions in processing project approvals and urged heads of institutions to plan procurement processes early to avoid setbacks.
“Also worrisome is the slow and reluctant utilisation of the TERAS platform by some beneficiary institutions.
”The Fund will pay closer attention to this in 2026,” he said.
Highlighting new initiatives, Echono revealed the introduction of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) as a new intervention line in 2026.
The project aims to enhance access to global academic resources and integrate the Tertiary Education Research Applications and Services (TERAS) platform into NgREN.
The Fund also plans to expand special intervention projects to include Centers for Robotics, Coding and AI Machine Learning, and Cybersecurity Studies in selected institutions.
Also, 12 institutions made up of two universities, eight polytechnics, and two Colleges of Education, would benefit from commercial farm projects.
Echono emphasised the Fund’s commitment to strengthening research and innovation, supporting the National Research Fund, institutional R&D partnerships, the Research-Meets-Industry initiative, and commercialisation of research outcomes.
Laboratory and agricultural development would receive particular attention, with enhancements to ongoing multipurpose laboratory projects, establishment of two new labs, and creation of agricultural demonstration farms.
He further assured that TETFund would sustain interventions in security infrastructure, completion of abandoned projects, disaster recovery measures, and continued development of student hostels through Public–Private Partnerships.
The ICT roadmap would also be strengthened with expanded digital services, ICT Experience Centers, subscription-based internet access, and TERAS advancement.
Echono commended the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for the collection of education tax in 2025 and urged all beneficiary institutions to fully utilise their 2025 allocations as preparations for the 2026 intervention cycle commence.
“With these strategic interventions, 2026 promises to be a year of strengthened capacity, innovation, and measurable impact across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector,” he said.
