TETFund Hosts Lagos Town Hall, Reaffirms Commitment to Transparency, Innovation

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has held the Lagos edition of its 2025 National Town Hall Meeting, reaffirming its commitment to transparency, accountability and inclusive governance in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Welcoming stakeholders at the event, which is the second in the series, after Abuja’s meeting, the TETFund’s Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, described the Town Hall as a critical platform that brings together beneficiary institutions, communities, policymakers, civil society organizations, development partners, the media, students and the general public to exchange ideas on the future of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector. He noted that the Fund has consistently executed its mandate of rebuilding, strengthening and modernizing Public Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. Rt. Hon Masari explained that; “While TETFund is widely known for transformational infrastructural projects that now define the skylines of campuses across the country, the heart of the Agency’s work remains the development of human capital. He emphasized that the Fund has expanded its strategy to focus on academic standards, institutional capacity, research, innovation, digitalization, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness.” Speaking further, the Chairman disclosed that thousands of lecturers have benefitted from TETFund-sponsored Masters and PhD programmes, both locally and internationally. He added that the Fund has also supported teaching practice, academic conferences, professional certification, manuscript development and pedagogical enhancement, all geared toward building a globally competitive academic workforce. On research and innovation, Masari highlighted several initiatives that are reshaping Nigeria’s knowledge economy. These include the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research (TETFAIR), which has produced more than 200 prototypes, and the Research for Impact (R4i) programme that has trained 939 academics to convert ideas into commercially viable products. Rt. Hon. Masari also listed the establishment of multidisciplinary research laboratories across geopolitical zones, the creation of Centers of Excellence, and the Nigerian Education Data Initiative which is strengthening evidence-based planning through real time data. He further outlined major investments in innovation and entrepreneurship hubs across beneficiary institutions. These hubs are equipped with robotics and electronics laboratories, 3D printing units, renewable energy labs, biotechnology and artificial intelligence Centres, creative and leathercraft workshops and recycling platforms. Other key interventions include the upgrade of 18 Colleges of Medicine and the ongoing establishment of eight medical simulation Centres, as well as a N70 Billion commitment in the 2025 budget for campus mini grid power solutions aimed at lowering operational costs and improving learning and research environments. The Chairman reiterated TETFund’s transparency framework, noting that annual allocations follow a clearly structured formula as follows; “Five percent is dedicated to administration, four percent is deducted by the tax authority as collection cost while the remaining ninety one percent is shared as fifty percent annual direct disbursement to institutions, forty percent special interventions and one percent operating surplus”. Reinforcing the importance of collective responsibility, he urged institutions, host communities, alumni and industry partners to safeguard TETFund funded projects and strengthen maintenance culture for long term sustainability. The Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono in his remarks, noted that creation of TETFund in 2011 redefined Nigeria’s approach to tertiary education development, stressing that Nigeria’s young population gives the country a comparative advantage in the global workforce, especially with the expansion of virtual work opportunities. He recalled that in 2018, Nigeria’s foreign remittances surpassed oil earnings, underscoring the value of knowledge export and intellectual capital. He disclosed that TETFund is studying the education models of Japan, Finland, the United States and Germany to upgrade Nigeria’s curriculum. This he said informed the design of the TERAS platform which will connect over 400 digital libraries and give students access to the same learning resources used in top global institutions. He added that entrepreneurship and real time learning will be integrated into curricula nationwide. He commended President Tinubu for safeguarding the agency during attempts to defund it and for allocating fifty percent of the development levy to TETFund under the new tax law. Representing the Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Permanent Secretary, Kasali Adeniran Waheed delivered a goodwill message lauding TETFund’s role in advancing institutional quality across the country. He said Lagos institutions now operate with 21st century standards due to investments in technology, creativity and infrastructure. He highlighted the global partnerships emerging from improved quality in Lagos tertiary institutions and appealed for increased TETFund support, especially for the University of Lagos, which he described as the most sought-after institution in the country. It would be recalled that the Northern version of the town hall meeting was held earlier in Abuja and also attracted different stakeholders from all sectors including the Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, represented by the Director General, Radio Nigeria, Dr. Mohammed Bulama; Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education, Sen. Muntari Dandutse, Chairperson, House Committee on TETFund and other Service, Hon. Mariam Onuoha and representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume. Also present were the Chairman, Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Professor Tanko Ishaya; Presidential spokespersons, Bayo Onanuga and Sunday Dare; former State Governors, scholars and members of civil society organisations.

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has held the Lagos edition of its 2025 National Town Hall Meeting, reaffirming its commitment to transparency, accountability and inclusive governance in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Welcoming stakeholders at the event, which is the second in the series, after Abuja’s meeting, the TETFund’s Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, described the Town Hall as a critical platform that brings together beneficiary institutions, communities, policymakers, civil society organizations, development partners, the media, students and the general public to exchange ideas on the future of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector. He noted that the Fund has consistently executed its mandate of rebuilding, strengthening and modernizing Public Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. Rt. Hon Masari explained that; “While TETFund is widely known for transformational infrastructural projects that now define the skylines of campuses across the country, the heart of the Agency’s work remains the development of human capital. He emphasized that the Fund has expanded its strategy to focus on academic standards, institutional capacity, research, innovation, digitalization, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness.” Speaking further, the Chairman disclosed that thousands of lecturers have benefitted from TETFund-sponsored Masters and PhD programmes, both locally and internationally. He added that the Fund has also supported teaching practice, academic conferences, professional certification, manuscript development and pedagogical enhancement, all geared toward building a globally competitive academic workforce. On research and innovation, Masari highlighted several initiatives that are reshaping Nigeria’s knowledge economy. These include the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research (TETFAIR), which has produced more than 200 prototypes, and the Research for Impact (R4i) programme that has trained 939 academics to convert ideas into commercially viable products. Rt. Hon. Masari also listed the establishment of multidisciplinary research laboratories across geopolitical zones, the creation of Centers of Excellence, and the Nigerian Education Data Initiative which is strengthening evidence-based planning through real time data. He further outlined major investments in innovation and entrepreneurship hubs across beneficiary institutions. These hubs are equipped with robotics and electronics laboratories, 3D printing units, renewable energy labs, biotechnology and artificial intelligence Centres, creative and leathercraft workshops and recycling platforms. Other key interventions include the upgrade of 18 Colleges of Medicine and the ongoing establishment of eight medical simulation Centres, as well as a N70 Billion commitment in the 2025 budget for campus mini grid power solutions aimed at lowering operational costs and improving learning and research environments. The Chairman reiterated TETFund’s transparency framework, noting that annual allocations follow a clearly structured formula as follows; “Five percent is dedicated to administration, four percent is deducted by the tax authority as collection cost while the remaining ninety one percent is shared as fifty percent annual direct disbursement to institutions, forty percent special interventions and one percent operating surplus”. Reinforcing the importance of collective responsibility, he urged institutions, host communities, alumni and industry partners to safeguard TETFund funded projects and strengthen maintenance culture for long term sustainability. The Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono in his remarks, noted that creation of TETFund in 2011 redefined Nigeria’s approach to tertiary education development, stressing that Nigeria’s young population gives the country a comparative advantage in the global workforce, especially with the expansion of virtual work opportunities. He recalled that in 2018, Nigeria’s foreign remittances surpassed oil earnings, underscoring the value of knowledge export and intellectual capital. He disclosed that TETFund is studying the education models of Japan, Finland, the United States and Germany to upgrade Nigeria’s curriculum. This he said informed the design of the TERAS platform which will connect over 400 digital libraries and give students access to the same learning resources used in top global institutions. He added that entrepreneurship and real time learning will be integrated into curricula nationwide. He commended President Tinubu for safeguarding the agency during attempts to defund it and for allocating fifty percent of the development levy to TETFund under the new tax law. Representing the Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Permanent Secretary, Kasali Adeniran Waheed delivered a goodwill message lauding TETFund’s role in advancing institutional quality across the country. He said Lagos institutions now operate with 21st century standards due to investments in technology, creativity and infrastructure. He highlighted the global partnerships emerging from improved quality in Lagos tertiary institutions and appealed for increased TETFund support, especially for the University of Lagos, which he described as the most sought-after institution in the country. It would be recalled that the Northern version of the town hall meeting was held earlier in Abuja and also attracted different stakeholders from all sectors including the Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, represented by the Director General, Radio Nigeria, Dr. Mohammed Bulama; Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education, Sen. Muntari Dandutse, Chairperson, House Committee on TETFund and other Service, Hon. Mariam Onuoha and representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume. Also present were the Chairman, Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Professor Tanko Ishaya; Presidential spokespersons, Bayo Onanuga and Sunday Dare; former State Governors, scholars and members of civil society organisations.