The Federal Government has approved N48 billion for the rehabilitation of engineering infrastructure and the supply of modern equipment in 12 federal and state universities, aimed at strengthening engineering and technology education across Nigeria.
Minister of Education Olatunji Alausa announced the initiative on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Ministerial Monitoring, Evaluation and Implementation Committee for the TETFund Special High-Impact Intervention Project for Engineering and Technology Faculties.
Under the project, each beneficiary institution will receive N4 billion to rehabilitate existing engineering and technology workshops or construct new ones where none exist, along with the installation of state-of-the-art equipment.
Alausa explained that the intervention seeks to address the longstanding gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills among engineering graduates, which has limited employability and reduced industry confidence.
“This intervention is part of the broader reform agenda of the Federal Ministry of Education, implemented in close collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), to ensure that our universities are not only centres of theoretical learning, but also hubs of hands-on training, applied research, innovation, and problem-solving,” he said.
“Today, each of these universities will get 4 billion naira each to rehabilitate their existing engineering and technology workshop or to build new engineering and technology workshop where they don’t have one.”
The project aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, prioritising skills development, youth empowerment, and economic diversification through education and technology.
Alausa emphasised that the newly inaugurated committee will ensure strict monitoring, transparency, and accountability in project execution. Its responsibilities include overseeing rehabilitation works, enforcing compliance with standards, tracking fund utilisation, maintaining digital project records, and submitting periodic reports.
The committee is also empowered to recommend sanctions against non-compliant institutions.
Beneficiary institutions include Federal Universities of Technology across the six geopolitical zones, as well as selected conventional universities such as Nigerian Army University, Biu; African Aviation and Aerospace University, Abuja; Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences; and Delta State University, Abraka, among others.
Alausa clarified that this N48 billion intervention is separate from other TETFund allocations for 2026, which include an additional N20 billion for upgrading engineering workshops in other universities nationwide.
He highlighted the stability of Nigeria’s tertiary education system under the current administration, noting nearly three years of uninterrupted academic activities and the resolution of issues that previously led to strikes.
The minister described the funding as a strategic national investment to produce globally competitive engineers, innovators, and industrial leaders, restore confidence in engineering education, and position Nigeria as a regional hub for technological excellence.
TETFund Executive Secretary Sonny Echono commended the initiative and acknowledged the roles of the President and National Assembly in driving efforts to restore Nigerian universities to global competitiveness.
“I have no doubt that this committee made up of eminent Nigerians, professionals and technocrats in their own rights will help us in identifying the needs, specify what needs to be done, monitoring the process of implementing these programs and ensuring that the funds allocated for this purpose are prudently and judiciously utilised,” Echono said.
