The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced a ₦70 billion allocation for Mini Grid Power Projects across 18 tertiary institutions in Nigeria under its 2025 intervention cycle.

Board of Trustees (BOT) Member for the South-South Zone, Aboh Uduyok, disclosed this in Uyo on Friday during the 2025 town hall meeting with TETFund beneficiary institutions in the zone. He explained that the move was designed to curb the persistent power challenges that cripple research and learning in Nigerian universities.

According to him, “to address one of the most persistent challenges facing our tertiary institutions, the high cost of electricity, the board has approved the Mini Grid Power Project under the 2025 intervention cycle with ₦70 billion allocation across 18 tertiary institutions which have been selected to benefit from sustainable mini grid energy solutions. This bold step will ensure a stable, cost-effective and renewable electricity supply to campuses, thereby reducing operational costs and enhancing research and learning.”

Uduyok further revealed that several institutions in the South-South were also included in TETFund’s 2025 Disaster Recovery Intervention projects. Beneficiaries include the Federal University of Science and Technology, Ikot Abasi; Bayelsa State Polytechnic, Aleibiri; Admiralty University, Ibusa; Niger Delta University, Wilberforce; and the University of Cross River State. He added that TETFund’s interventions extend beyond power and infrastructure to cover research, academic training, and teaching practice. He urged stakeholders to ensure transparency, sustainability, and proper maintenance of facilities provided.

In a paper titled “TETFund and the Future of Tertiary Education in Nigeria,” Mr. Ntia Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Carsem Consult Limited, commended TETFund for its interventions but pushed for a new allocation approach. “TETFund should transition from funder to catalytic partner for turning research into useful products and resilience. Regional partners should get involved in co-designing a 5-year South-South Tertiary Development Plan. Mobilize Alumni, Diaspora, and Industry as co-investors,” he said. He also called for a needs-based allocation formula and the creation of a South-South Innovation Window to translate research into practical products.

During the session, stakeholders urged TETFund to raise the education tax above the current 3 percent, arguing that the 0.5 percent increment from 2.5 percent was insufficient to meet rising educational needs. They also criticized the establishment of a special desk for the Ministry of Education within TETFund, describing it as “monitoring spirits.”

Adding his voice, the Rector of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Dr. Moses Umoessien, appealed to TETFund to authorize one university per state to run master’s and PhD programs for polytechnic lecturers. He said, “Approving one university in each state for the program would give room for part-time arrangements, enabling lecturers to combine their jobs with academic programs, and also help polytechnics meet the NBTE’s directive that all academic staff must obtain a master’s degree or risk conversion to non-teaching staff.