TETFund to Block New Projects for Institutions with Delayed Interventions
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced that tertiary institutions with outstanding delayed projects will not be considered for new interventions under the 2027 funding cycle until they complete existing ones.
The decision was disclosed by the Board Chairman, Aminu Bello Masari, who said the move was aimed at tackling the persistent delays affecting the completion of TETFund-funded projects in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
According to a statement issued by TETFund’s Director of Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi, Masari said institutions whose projects have exceeded their approved timelines must first focus on completing them before receiving fresh intervention projects.
The Board acknowledged challenges such as rising costs of construction materials, including cement, reinforcement bars, electrical and sanitary fittings. However, Masari noted that TETFund had already created a special intervention programme in 2023 to assist institutions in completing abandoned and stalled projects.
He expressed concern over the continued delays, attributing them largely to poor project continuity whenever new administrations take over in beneficiary institutions, as well as delays in payment processes to contractors.
Masari warned that internal bureaucracy and institutional politics would no longer be allowed to hinder the delivery of projects funded by TETFund.
Under the new directive, institutions are required to submit detailed reports on projects that have remained incomplete for more than six months beyond their expected completion dates.
The reports must include reasons for the delays, possible solutions, priority rankings and estimated costs needed to finish the projects.
The Board also directed institutions to improve project monitoring by ensuring their Physical Planning and Maintenance Departments take active roles in supervising construction works to guarantee quality, cost effectiveness and timely completion.
Masari said institutions with delayed projects would now be required to use their Annual, Zonal and High Impact intervention funds to complete ongoing projects before seeking approval for new ones.
He added that no new projects would be approved for affected institutions during the 2027 intervention cycle until outstanding projects are completed.
To enforce the directive, TETFund monitoring teams made up of Board members and technical officials will visit affected institutions in August and September 2026 to assess the status of delayed projects.
The findings from the inspections will be presented during the Board’s statutory meeting in October 2026, where decisions on projects to be included in the 2027 intervention guidelines will be made.
