Mirian Gom 
TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono
ABUJA, Nigeria — The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has challenged beneficiary institutions to deliver measurable results from the Federal Government’s N1.6 trillion investment in tertiary education.
The Fund’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Aminu Bello Masari, said increased funding must translate into better teaching, stronger research, improved skills acquisition and higher graduate employability.
Masari spoke at the second TETFund Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting in Abuja on Thursday. The meeting was themed Investing in Nigeria’s Future: Tertiary Education, Human Capital and National Development.
He said TETFund’s budget rose from N320.3 billion in 2023 to N683.4 billion in 2024 before reaching N1.6 trillion in 2025. The 2025 allocation was about five times the 2023 figure.
“The substantial increase in TETFund funding under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a clear expression of the administration’s commitment. It places an equally substantial responsibility on the Fund and beneficiary institutions to deliver measurable improvements,” Masari said.
He noted that the funding supports infrastructure, academic programmes, research capacity and improved learning environments. However, he stressed that institutions must demonstrate how these investments improve educational outcomes.
“We must account for these investments through quality projects, effective teaching, useful research and graduates equipped for productive lives,” he said.
Masari also warned that increased funding alone would not address the challenges facing tertiary education. He called for stronger institutional leadership, prudent financial management, transparency and proper maintenance of facilities.
TETFund Approves N6.09bn for Research
Masari disclosed that about N6.09 billion had been approved in 2026 for 174 successful proposals under the National Research Fund’s 2025 grant cycle.
The funding is part of efforts to strengthen research capacity and support innovation in tertiary institutions.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is pursuing a major shift towards practical education, targeting a model in which practical training accounts for 80 per cent of learning and theory makes up the remaining 20 per cent.
Minister of Education Tunji Alausa, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmed, said the reform aims to equip students with practical skills that meet labour market demands and support industrial development.
She said curriculum reviews had produced new and revised curricula, alongside national occupational standards, to improve the relevance of education and training.
The proposed model would replace the traditional approach, which typically emphasises 70 per cent theory and 30 per cent practical work, with greater focus on hands-on experience.
Said Ahmed also called for stronger partnerships between educational institutions and industry, improved research capacity, sustainable funding and increased private-sector investment in education and innovation.
TETFund Expands Infrastructure, Digital Learning
TETFund Executive Secretary Sonny Echono highlighted the Fund’s investments in infrastructure and digital learning, as well as its provision of electric buses to tertiary institutions.
He said 88 institutions had benefited from the special transportation initiative, with plans to extend the programme to more schools.
Echono added that TETFund was working with government agencies to identify national manpower priorities and align skills development with workforce needs.
Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda commended the Fund for supporting tertiary institutions, particularly through infrastructure development.
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