Education
FG issues 30-Day ultimatum for utilization of unaccessed education funds
Written By: Emmanuel Ikhenebome
11 Oct 2025 05:27 PM
Abuja – In a decisive move to address the longstanding issue of unutilized education funds, the Federal Government of Nigeria has issued a 30-day ultimatum to tertiary institutions across the country.
The directive, announced by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, aims to ensure the full utilization of unaccessed and unutilized education intervention funds allocated through collective action.
During a strategic meeting held in Abuja with Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, Bursars, and Procurement Officers from public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, Dr. Alausa emphasized the urgency of the situation. He described the failure to utilize intervention funds as a setback to national progress, warning that the era of idle allocations is over.
"This meeting is not for blame games but to move forward collectively,” Dr. Alausa stated.
He highlighted that resources intended to transform classrooms, laboratories, and libraries have remained idle for years due to bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Institutions are now required to submit reconciled reports of all unutilized funds within 30 days. Any unused funds will be redirected to priority projects, and carrying them over without strong justification will no longer be tolerated.
The Minister expressed concern over the huge sums of money lying unutilized in the coffers of the Central Bank of Nigeria, warning that such negligence denies students access to improved learning facilities and limits institutional growth.
He noted that some allocations have remained untouched since the 1990s, a trend this administration is determined to reverse through transparency, accountability, and performance-driven management.
To enhance efficiency and strengthen compliance, Dr. Alausa announced that the Ministry will introduce new capacity-building and mentorship programs for institutional heads, bursars, and project coordinators. These programs will focus on improving project management, procurement planning, and timely reporting.
The Ministry will also conduct quarterly progress reviews to track utilization levels, with sanctions imposed on defaulters.
In a significant step toward transparency, the Minister disclosed plans to launch a public transparency dashboard displaying Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) disbursement and utilization data.
“Every TETFund naira represents public trust. We owe it to Nigerians to ensure that these resources are spent efficiently and visibly,” he said.
As the 30-day countdown begins, all eyes are on Nigeria’s tertiary institutions to comply with the Federal Government’s directive and deliver on the promise of a revitalized education sector.
The directive, announced by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, aims to ensure the full utilization of unaccessed and unutilized education intervention funds allocated through collective action.
During a strategic meeting held in Abuja with Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, Bursars, and Procurement Officers from public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, Dr. Alausa emphasized the urgency of the situation. He described the failure to utilize intervention funds as a setback to national progress, warning that the era of idle allocations is over.
"This meeting is not for blame games but to move forward collectively,” Dr. Alausa stated.
He highlighted that resources intended to transform classrooms, laboratories, and libraries have remained idle for years due to bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Institutions are now required to submit reconciled reports of all unutilized funds within 30 days. Any unused funds will be redirected to priority projects, and carrying them over without strong justification will no longer be tolerated.
The Minister expressed concern over the huge sums of money lying unutilized in the coffers of the Central Bank of Nigeria, warning that such negligence denies students access to improved learning facilities and limits institutional growth.
He noted that some allocations have remained untouched since the 1990s, a trend this administration is determined to reverse through transparency, accountability, and performance-driven management.
To enhance efficiency and strengthen compliance, Dr. Alausa announced that the Ministry will introduce new capacity-building and mentorship programs for institutional heads, bursars, and project coordinators. These programs will focus on improving project management, procurement planning, and timely reporting.
The Ministry will also conduct quarterly progress reviews to track utilization levels, with sanctions imposed on defaulters.
In a significant step toward transparency, the Minister disclosed plans to launch a public transparency dashboard displaying Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) disbursement and utilization data.
“Every TETFund naira represents public trust. We owe it to Nigerians to ensure that these resources are spent efficiently and visibly,” he said.
As the 30-day countdown begins, all eyes are on Nigeria’s tertiary institutions to comply with the Federal Government’s directive and deliver on the promise of a revitalized education sector.
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