By Ngozi Nwankwo
The Board of Trustees,BoT,of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund,TETFund, has resolved to sanction beneficiary institutions that fail to complete ongoing intervention projects, announcing that such institutions will not be allowed to commence new projects under the 2027 intervention allocation.
Chairman of the Board, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying the decision was aimed at addressing the persistent delay in the execution of TETFund-sponsored projects across beneficiary institutions.
Masari explained that while delays had previously been attributed to factors such as fluctuations in the prices of construction materials, including cement, reinforcement bars, electrical and sanitary fittings, the Fund had introduced a dedicated intervention line in 2023 to facilitate the completion of stalled projects.
According to him, a recent review showed that the initiative had significantly improved project delivery, with many previously abandoned or delayed projects completed.
Despite the progress, the BoT expressed concern over the continued failure of some institutions to adhere to approved project timelines.
The Board identified frequent changes in institutional leadership, the preference of some heads of institutions to initiate new projects instead of completing inherited ones, and delays in processing payments to contractors as major causes of the recurring problem.
It stressed that internal bureaucracy and politics within beneficiary institutions would no longer be allowed to hinder the implementation of TETFund-sponsored projects.
To address the situation permanently, the Board approved a number of measures for immediate implementation.
Under the new directives, all beneficiary institutions are required to compile a comprehensive list of projects that have exceeded their completion schedules by more than six months, indicating the causes of the delays and proposed remedial actions.
The institutions are also expected to prioritise the delayed projects based on their relevance, provide detailed cost estimates for their completion, and establish effective supervision teams involving their Physical Planning and Maintenance Departments to ensure timely delivery, cost efficiency and quality standards.
The Board further directed that institutions with delayed projects must prioritise their completion using Annual, Zonal and High Impact Intervention allocations.
It warned that no new projects would be approved for such institutions under the 2027 intervention cycle until the outstanding projects are completed.
Masari also announced that monitoring teams comprising members of the BoT and TETFund technical staff would undertake on-the-spot assessments of affected projects and evaluate completion plans submitted by beneficiary institutions.
The monitoring exercise is scheduled to take place in August and September 2026 ahead of the Board’s statutory meeting in October, where projects eligible for inclusion in the 2027 disbursement guidelines will be considered.
