Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, is tightening the reins on accountability, vowing tougher consequences for institutions misapplying public resources. Since assuming office over three years ago, Echono has led a sweeping reform agenda aimed at ending entrenched inefficiencies and wasteful practices in Nigeria’s higher education funding system.
A seasoned civil servant with over three decades of experience, Echono has brought a no-nonsense approach to his role, beginning with dismantling powerful internal cliques and reinforcing due process in project execution. His emphasis on fiscal discipline has seen the agency recover idle funds from underperforming institutions while redirecting resources to those demonstrating efficient use and measurable impact.
Echono has also turned his focus to foreign scholarship beneficiaries who failed to return to Nigeria after completing their studies, declaring an end to the government’s “Santa Claus” approach. Instead, he is championing in-country training by improving domestic capacity for research and academic development.
Most recently, he issued a strong warning to institutions during a July 2025 strategic workshop in Abuja, stating that failure to utilise or retire TETFund allocations in line with guidelines could lead to delisting. Abandoned projects and unviable institutions, some with fewer than 100 students, are also under scrutiny.
Echono’s collaborative strategy includes regular stakeholder engagements involving not just heads of institutions, but also key administrative and planning officers. His push for transparency, compliance, and performance-driven funding is gradually reshaping the governance culture within Nigeria’s tertiary education landscape.
