The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has made a startling disclosure about a polytechnic in the Southeast region, which receives billions of naira in annual intervention funds despite having a remarkably small student population of only 30.
Executive Secretary of the Fund, Sonny Echono, stated this today in Abuja at the 2025 one-day strategic interactive workshops for heads of institutions, bursars, and heads of procurement of TETFund beneficiary institutions, reports The Guardian.
Describing the situation as shocking and embarrassing, Echono revealed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is already investigating the matter.
Although the Executive Secretary did not disclose the name of the polytechnic, he pointed out that it was established four years ago.
“I was so embarrassed when it was brought to my attention that a particular polytechnic in the South East that has been there for four years has only 30 students.
“The Southeast of all places where if you go to any state including the Northern region, you will see students from the Southeast in those institutions, yet this was put at their doorstep, and they have only 30 students and they have been accessing all their annual disbursements.
“We (TETFund) are disbursing billions (to the institution). And who are the people they are spending the money on? We describe it as waste of money. It is so bad that EFCC is on it. I was shocked and I didn’t realise that it was that bad,” he said.
He cautioned that institutions that fail to effectively access, utilize, or account for funds, or those not meeting enrollment and academic performance standards, risk losing eligibility for TETFund’s support programmes.
He clarified that the policy’s purpose is to protect the integrity and effectiveness of the Fund’s interventions, not to punish institutions.
His words: “Let me be clear: institutions that consistently fail to access, utilize, or retire funds appropriately, or that fall short of enrollment and academic performance thresholds, risk being delisted as TETFund beneficiary institutions.”
According to him, the Fund has allocated over N70 billion for alternative power sources to beneficiary institutions this year.
This, he explained, will come in the form of solar and hybrid power.
The Fund allocates significant funds to tertiary institutions annually, with polytechnics typically receiving around N1.165 billion, comprising N1.015 billion as direct disbursement and N150 million for zonal intervention.
In their separate goodwill messages, the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) lauded the Fund for its landmark achievements and contributions to the development of tertiary education in Nigeria, highlighting its positive impact on the country’s educational landscape.
