By CHIKA MEFOR-NWACHUKWU

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has charged beneficiary institutions to ensure that increased funding translates to measurable results as its budget grew from N320.3 billion in 2023 to N1.6trn in 2025.

The charge was given by Hon. Aminu Bello Masari who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of TETFund and host of the 2026 TETFund Board of Trustees National Town Hall Meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, themed "Investing in Nigeria's Future: Tertiary Education, Human Capital and National Development."

Masari welcoming the stakeholders at the event, said investment in tertiary education is investment in the people whose education and enterprise will determine Nigeria's future, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated strong commitment to the sector through the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Giving figures, he said: "The scale of funding reflects that commitment. TETFund's budget increased from N320.3bn in 2023 to N683.4bn in 2024, reaching N1.6trn in 2025 - approximately five times the 2023 level."

He disclosed that for the 2026 annual direct intervention alone, 271 beneficiary institutions are covered, with "allocations of approximately N2.526bn to each university, N1.871bn to each polytechnic and N2.057bn to each college of education."

Masari, however, warned that funding alone is not enough but added that institutional leadership, prudent management, transparency and proper maintenance are essential.

"These resources are supporting improvements in infrastructure, academic programmes, research capacity and the conditions under which our students learn. Their value must ultimately be reflected in the quality of our graduates and their contributions to society," he said.

In her remarks, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, commended TETFund for its role in strengthening public tertiary institutions.

She revealed that ongoing curriculum reforms were funded by TETFund, explaining that the reforms are shifting learning to "80 percent practical training and 20 percent learning" to make graduates more hands-on and industry-ready.

"The curriculum reforms were funded by TETFund, and we thank the leaders at TETFund for giving these funds to curriculum reforms. Infrastructure development, staff training, laboratory equipment, without the necessary and adequate curriculum may not lead to the transformation we want to see," she said.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of TETund, Arc. Sonny Echono, said the increase in funding facilitated by the President has enabled the Fund to support key federal policies beyond its traditional mandate.

Giving example, he said: "I can confirm to you that nearly all the funds that we release to Nigeria's students loan, over N300b of it, was provided by TETFund."

He said TETFund also funded credible education data, student innovation and welfare programmes.

"For the first time, we are now having credible, accurate data about how many students are going to school, how many are out of school, how many teachers they have. That data is fully funded by TETFund," he said.

Echono announced that the Fund is advancing six Central Multipurpose Laboratories across geopolitical zones and has secured approval for six additional Centres of Excellence in robotics, coding, AI and cybersecurity, bringing the total to 36.

"As I speak, tomorrow, we will be commissioning 14 projects in one institution. Over 418 projects are ready for commissioning across the country," he said, adding that in 42 institutions the Fund is providing transport support, with 38 schools now producing electric vehicles for students.

Delivering the keynote titled "From Degree to Development: Are Nigeria Universities Producing the Human Capital Nigeria Needs?", the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, said digital competence is required across all disciplines.

Citing World Bank record, he warned, that "Going by the World Bank record, in the next 10 to 20 years, Nigeria will have 20 million workers who will need digital competencies."

He listed Nigeria's human capital needs to include food security, energy and infrastructure, industrialisation, digital transformation, AI and data, healthcare, education and climate resilience, adding that universities must connect programmes more deliberately to national needs.