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By Correspondent in Abuja.
(C) Google.
The Federal Government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has approved the disbursement of intervention funds to 271 tertiary institutions across Nigeria, covering universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
Our correspondent gathered that the approval follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s endorsement of the 2026 intervention programme, aimed at strengthening critical infrastructure, enhancing academic delivery, boosting research and innovation, and accelerating the overall transformation of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
Speaking at the annual disbursement meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sunny Echono, disclosed that each university will receive ₦2,525,932,228.02, while each polytechnic will get ₦1,871,059,920.53. Colleges of education, he added, will receive ₦2,056,527,973.04 each.
Echono explained that the disbursement cycle comprises 90.75 per cent direct disbursement,made up of 50.00 per cent annual direct allocation and 40.75 per cent special direct disbursement,while designated projects account for 9.07 per cent and stabilisation funds 0.18 per cent.
He, however, expressed concern over undue delays by some beneficiary institutions in processing projects for approval in principle and completing due process requirements for implementation and urged heads of institutions to commence procurement planning early to avoid such setbacks.
The TETFund boss also decried the slow adoption of the TETFund Research and Education Support (TERAS) platform by some institutions, warning that the Fund would pay closer attention to compliance in 2026.
“Also worrisome is the slow and reluctant utilisation of the TERAS platform and its associated services by some beneficiary institutions. The Fund will be paying closer attention to this in the year 2026,” he said.
Echono further called for better documentation and improved understanding of TETFund guidelines for training and content-based intervention lines, noting that this would reduce the challenges often faced by scholars in beneficiary institutions.
To further strengthen research quality and impact, Echono announced the introduction of a new intervention line,the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN),under the 2026 annual direct intervention.
According to him, NgREN is designed to improve access to global academic resources and integrate the TERAS platform into the network, effective from the 2026 intervention cycle.
“With these investments, the year 2026 promises to be one of growth, innovation and measurable impact,” Echono stated.
He also revealed that TETFund is expanding its special intervention projects to include the establishment of Centres for Robotics, Coding and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, as well as Centres for Cybersecurity Studies in selected institutions.
In addition, 12 more institutions,comprising two universities, eight polytechnics and two colleges of education,will benefit from the commercial farm project.
Echono noted that the Fund has sustained the equipping and upgrading of research and development offices and will continue the development of student hostel projects through public–private partnerships.
He added that interventions will also continue in the areas of security infrastructure and training, completion of long-abandoned projects, disaster recovery measures, as well as laboratory and agricultural development.
“We are enhancing ongoing multipurpose laboratory projects, establishing two new ones, and creating new agricultural laboratories and demonstration farms,” he said.
According to him, TETFund’s ICT roadmap will be further strengthened through expanded digital services, ICT Experience Centres, subscription-based internet access, and the continued advancement of the Tertiary Education Research Application Services (TERAS).
“With these strategic interventions, 2026 promises to be a year of strengthened capacity, innovation and measurable impact across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector,” Echono said..
–Phoenix.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
