FG Warns Tertiary Institutions against TETFund Misuse, Moves to Curb Brain Drain

Funmi Ogundare

The Federal Government, yesterday warned heads of tertiary institutions in Nigeria who failed to comply with TETFund guidelines, underutilizing funds, or breaching procurement protocols risk losing their beneficiary status.

Speaking at a one-day strategic engagement organised by TETFund and attended by heads of institutions, bursars, and procurement officers, in Lagos, the Minister of Education , Dr. Tunji Alausa explained that unrestrained institutional expansion and replication of mandate are no longer acceptable.

According to him,” institutions must demonstrate responsibility, capacity and adherence to guidelines. Any institution that consistently underperforms in fund utilisation, violates procurement protocols or has less than 2,000 students risks being delisted from TETFund funding. This is not punitive; it is necessary to maintain integrity and ensure equity.”

He emphasised the need to redirect focus toward high-impact training programmes within Nigeria, underscoring the government’s commitment to fostering local academic excellence.

He also disclosed that the suspension of the foreign component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) effective from January 1, 2025, was due to escalating costs and increasing incidents of scholars absconding saying it marks a pivotal shift in the country’s approach to academic staff development.

In line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Minister reiterated that the education sector must become globally competitive, inclusive, and innovation-driven. He stressed that all investments must yield measurable outcomes, with greater emphasis placed on accountability and impact.

Alausa disclosed that there is significant increase in funding for research initiatives such as the National Research Fund, Research and Innovation Fund, and the Triple Helix programme which aim to tackle challenges in agriculture, healthcare, technology, and industry through practical and commercialised research.

He listed some reforms of the administration including the deployment of the TERAS digital platform to boost transparency, prioritisation of ongoing infrastructure projects, and the formation of two committees that will resolve campus energy issues and focus on enhancing facilities in medical colleges.

“Eighteen universities are set to benefit from the new Special High Impact Projects (SHIP) initiative targeting healthcare education, part of a broader strategy to bridge Nigeria’s healthcare workforce gap,” the minister stated.

He called for increased public-private partnerships and institutional resourcefulness. “Government cannot bear the full burden alone. The future of tertiary education must be driven by innovation, responsibility, and sustainability,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, revealed that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive, the entire allocation for TETFund’s 2025 Special High Impact Programme (SHIP) for universities has been dedicated to strengthening medical and allied health education across the country. The initiative will focus on enhancing facilities and equipment to enable more universities to increase student intake in fields such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry.

He expressed concern about the severe consequences of a growing brain drain in the healthcare sector, with doctors, nurses, dentists, and lab technologists migrating in large numbers for better opportunities abroad. “We’ve not only lost academic staff across faculties, but also medical personnel who are leaving in groups. This is depleting our healthcare and education systems,” he said.

He also lamented Nigeria’s unsustainable