The Federal Government has approved a major intervention fund of ₦6.452 billion for public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across Nigeria. The funds will be disbursed through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) under its 2026 intervention cycle.
TETFund announced that a total of 271 public tertiary institutions will benefit from the intervention. The fund is aimed at improving physical infrastructure, strengthening academic programmes, and supporting research and innovation in Nigeria’s higher education sector.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr Sunny Echono, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the Fund’s annual disbursement meeting. He explained that the intervention is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to reposition tertiary education and improve the quality of teaching, learning, and research in the country.
According to Echono, the approved funds will be shared across different categories of institutions, with each category receiving significant support. He said each public university will receive a total of ₦2,525,932,228.02. Polytechnics will get ₦1,871,059,920.53 each, while colleges of education will receive ₦2,056,527,973.04 each.
He noted that the 2026 intervention cycle is carefully structured to ensure effective use of funds. The cycle is divided into direct disbursements and designated projects. Echono explained that 90.75 per cent of the total allocation is for direct disbursement. This includes 50 per cent for annual direct disbursement and 40.75 per cent for special direct disbursement.
He added that designated projects account for 9.07 per cent of the total funds, while stabilisation funds make up 0.18 per cent. According to him, this structure is designed to meet both immediate and long-term needs of tertiary institutions.
TETFund is a key government agency responsible for supporting public tertiary institutions through funds generated from the education tax paid by companies in Nigeria. Over the years, the agency has played a major role in building classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and hostels, as well as funding research and staff development.
Echono said the Fund would continue to invest heavily in research laboratories, information and communication technology (ICT), agricultural facilities, and campus security infrastructure. He added that TETFund is also strengthening partnerships with the private sector to improve student exposure, practical skills, and employability.
He warned institutions to ensure proper use of their allocations, stressing that schools that fail to fully utilise their 2025 funds may not qualify for future disbursements. According to him, future funding will be based on performance, student enrolment, and effective use of allocated resources.
Echono identified several challenges faced in previous intervention cycles. These include delays in project approvals, slow procurement processes, and poor use of the Tertiary Education Research Application System (TERAS), a digital platform introduced by TETFund to manage applications and project monitoring.
He urged institutions to address these issues promptly to ensure smooth implementation of projects in the 2026 cycle. He said proper planning and timely execution would help institutions get the full benefit of the intervention.
The TETFund boss commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the guidelines for the 2026 intervention cycle. He said the approval aligns with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which focuses on rebuilding key sectors of the economy, including education.
According to Echono, the intervention funds are designed to improve infrastructure, enhance teaching and learning, and boost research output across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. He noted that strong tertiary institutions are critical to national development, innovation, and human capital growth.
As part of new initiatives for 2026, Echono announced the introduction of a fresh intervention line known as the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN). He explained that the initiative is aimed at expanding access to global academic resources and improving digital connectivity among Nigerian institutions.
He said NgREN will integrate the TERAS digital platform from 2026, allowing institutions to better access research materials, collaborate with global partners, and share academic resources more efficiently.
On digital development, Echono said TETFund’s ICT roadmap would be further strengthened. This will include expanded digital services, ICT Experience Centres, subscription-based internet access, and continued improvement of the TERAS platform.
He also announced plans to expand special intervention projects to cover the establishment of Centres for Robotics, Coding, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Machine Learning in selected institutions. In addition, Centres for Cybersecurity Studies will be set up to address growing digital security needs.
“These initiatives are designed to prepare Nigerian students for the modern digital economy and equip them with relevant skills,” Echono said.
In the area of agriculture, Echono disclosed that 12 additional institutions would benefit from TETFund’s commercial farm project. The beneficiaries will include two universities, eight polytechnics, and two colleges of education. He said the project is aimed at promoting practical agricultural training, food production, and revenue generation for institutions.
He added that the Fund would continue to support the equipping and upgrading of research and development offices. TETFund will also sustain student hostel development through Public-Private Partnerships to address accommodation challenges on campuses.
Echono expressed appreciation to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for its role in collecting education tax, which is the main source of TETFund’s revenue. He thanked the leadership of FIRS for its support in 2025.
He also expressed optimism that the newly introduced development levy under Nigeria’s revised tax regime would further strengthen TETFund’s capacity to carry out its mandate and support more institutions.
As preparations begin for the 2026 intervention cycle, Echono again urged heads of beneficiary institutions to fully utilise their 2025 allocations. He said proper use of funds would help institutions qualify for future support and deliver better results.
“I am confident that the 2026 intervention cycle will deliver strengthened capacity, innovation, and measurable impact across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector,” he said.