In a lecture hall at a state university in northern Nigeria, students huddle around a single, worn-out projector. The lab, once intended for practical experiments, has outdated equipment that barely functions. Nevertheless, for over two decades, billions of naira meant to upgrade these facilities have sat idle.
Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, says the fault lies not in the funds but in leadership. Vice chancellors, rectors, and provosts often lack the managerial training to deploy resources efficiently. “Our tertiary institutions need systems training to move them to 21st-century ways of managing resources,” he told a gathering of directors in Abuja.
For students like Ifeanyi, a final-year engineering student, the impact is real. “We hear that universities get billions from TETFund,” he says, “but we still share one old lab between hundreds of students. It feels like no one is really in charge.”
Lecturers share similar frustrations. Dr Amina Bello, a senior lecturer in biology, explains: “We have grant opportunities and equipment allocations, but the bureaucracy is endless. Forms get lost, approvals take months, and by the time funds come through, the needs have doubled.”
TETFund recently received N1.6 trillion, yet over N500 billion remains unaccessed at the Central Bank, while state institutions across Kaduna alone have more than N1.3 billion sitting idle. Officials, like Hon. Mariam Odinaka Onuoha, chair of the TETFund oversight committee, argue that this is a problem of accountability, not scarcity. “We are determined to make sure these funds serve their academic purposes,” she said, visiting Kaduna State.
The human cost is both palpable and distressful: students crowd into classrooms, laboratories lack basic tools, and lecturers struggle to deliver quality teaching. Dr Hadiza Balarabe, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, says it is high time stakeholders and policymakers engage in an open dialogue on the issue. She urged university heads to voice the challenges preventing fund access.
Experts warn that unless Nigeria addresses leadership weaknesses, billions will continue to gather dust while students miss out on opportunities to learn, innovate, and grow. The story of billions of idle TETFund allocations is not just about money; it is about a generation of young Nigerians waiting for leadership that can turn potential into progress.
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