Abuja: The Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced that beneficiary institutions with delayed intervention projects will not be considered for new projects under the 2027 intervention cycle. This decision was revealed in a statement issued on Wednesday by TETFund’s Director of Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Chairman of the Board, Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari, stated that the decision aims to address the persistent delay in the completion of TETFund-sponsored projects across beneficiary institutions. He cited factors such as the rising cost of construction materials, including cement, reinforcement bars, sanitary, and electrical fittings, as contributors to these delays. To combat this, the Board introduced a special intervention line in 2023 to aid in the completion of stalled projects affected by increasing construction costs, which has seen significant success in completing many previously stalled projects.
However, Masar
i expressed concern over the ongoing failure of some institutions to complete projects within the approved timelines. He attributed this issue to the lack of continuity in project implementation by successive heads of institutions, who often abandon ongoing projects in favor of new ones, as well as delays in processing payments to contractors. The Board is determined not to let internal bureaucracy and politics within beneficiary institutions undermine the successful execution of TETFund-sponsored projects.
To ensure timely completion of all ongoing projects, the Board has approved immediate measures. All beneficiary institutions are required to submit a comprehensive list of projects that have exceeded their completion timelines by more than six months, detailing the causes of delays and proposed remedies. These projects must be prioritized according to their relevance and accompanied by detailed completion cost estimates. Institutions are also directed to enhance project supervision by involving their Phys
ical Planning and Maintenance Departments to ensure timely delivery, cost-effectiveness, and adherence to quality standards.
Masari emphasized that institutions with delayed projects must allocate their Annual, Zonal, and High Impact Intervention funds toward completing such projects. Consequently, no new projects will be considered from these identified beneficiary institutions for the 2027 intervention cycle. Additionally, monitoring teams comprising members of the Board and technical staff of the Fund will conduct on-site assessments of affected projects and evaluate completion plans submitted by the institutions. These inspections are scheduled for August and September 2026, ahead of the Board’s statutory meeting in October, where projects for inclusion in the 2027 disbursement guidelines will be considered.