The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has approved stringent measures aimed at ending persistent delays in the execution of intervention projects across beneficiary institutions, warning that institutions with abandoned or overdue projects will not be allowed to commence new projects under the 2027 intervention cycle.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, said the decision followed growing concerns over the recurring failure of some beneficiary institutions to complete approved projects within stipulated timelines.
Masari recalled that the Board had earlier acknowledged challenges such as the volatility in the prices of key building materials—including cement, reinforcement bars, sanitary and electrical fittings which prompted the introduction of a special intervention line in 2023 dedicated to the completion of stalled projects.
According to him, a recent review showed that the initiative had achieved significant success, with many previously delayed projects completed through the intervention.
Despite the progress, the BoT expressed dissatisfaction with the continued incidence of delayed project delivery. Masari attributed the situation largely to the lack of continuity in project implementation by successive heads of beneficiary institutions, many of whom abandon ongoing projects in favour of new ones, as well as delays in processing payments to contractors.
The Board also warned that internal bureaucracy and institutional politics would no longer be allowed to undermine the successful execution of TETFund sponsored projects.
To address the recurring problem of distressed projects, the BoT approved a series of immediate measures.
Beneficiary institutions have been directed to compile a comprehensive list of all projects that have exceeded their planned completion period by more than six months, clearly stating the causes of the delays and proposed remedies. The projects are also to be ranked according to relevance and priority, with detailed cost estimates for their completion.
In addition, institutions are required to establish robust project supervision teams involving their Physical Planning and Maintenance Departments to ensure timely delivery, cost efficiency and adherence to quality standards.
The Board further directed that institutions with delayed projects must prioritise their completion using Annual, Zonal and High Impact intervention lines. Consequently, no new projects from affected institutions will be considered for the 2027 intervention cycle until outstanding projects are completed.
To ensure compliance, monitoring teams comprising members of the Board of Trustees and technical staff of the Fund will undertake on-the-spot assessments of affected projects and evaluate completion plans submitted by beneficiary institutions. The exercise is scheduled to take place between August and September 2026 ahead of the Board’s statutory meeting in October 2026, where projects to be admitted into the 2027 disbursement guidelines will be considered.
