Akume Raises Alarm Over Unaccessed TETFund Allocations, Demands Accountability

Senator George Akume 
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF

..... Calls on tertiary institutions to match increased government funding with effective project delivery, proper maintenance of facilities and transparent reporting of achievements.

..... Says "the challenge of un-accessed allocations could be addressed if governing boards and councils made oversight, maintenance and measurable impact central to their responsibilities.

“This self-inflicted challenge could be overcome if boards and governing councils make oversight, maintenance and measurable impact central to their stewardship.”

By Emmanuel Oyoyo-Onotevure
Abuja

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has expressed concern over delays by some tertiary institutions in accessing funds allocated to them, urging university authorities and governing councils to strengthen accountability and ensure timely utilisation of available resources.

Akume said the development was undermining efforts to maximise federal investment in tertiary education, stressing that institutions must demonstrate measurable improvements in teaching, research, infrastructure and graduate quality.

The SGF spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2026 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Town Hall Dialogue with Stakeholders. He was represented by Pharm. Aliyu Zakari-Jiya, PhD.

According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, on Thursday, Akume called on tertiary institutions to match increased government funding with effective project delivery, proper maintenance of facilities and transparent reporting of achievements.

He said the challenge of unaccessed allocations could be addressed if governing boards and councils made oversight, maintenance and measurable impact central to their responsibilities.

“This self-inflicted challenge could be overcome if boards and governing councils make oversight, maintenance and measurable impact central to their stewardship,” he said.

The SGF described tertiary education as critical national development infrastructure, arguing that its contribution to economic growth and national competitiveness went beyond the construction of buildings.

He said Nigeria's greatest resources were not limited to its mineral deposits but also included the talents, creativity and enterprise of its people nurtured in classrooms, laboratories, workshops and libraries.

Akume stressed that education should not be viewed as a sector competing with roads, power and healthcare for government attention, but as a critical foundation for producing the professionals and innovators required to drive development across these sectors.

He noted that investment in tertiary education was an investment in productivity, competitiveness, social mobility and national resilience.

The SGF challenged stakeholders to assess the impact of government spending on tertiary institutions by asking what national capabilities the country had developed through such investments.

He maintained that while TETFund had recorded significant investments under President Bola Tinubu's administration, the benefits must translate into improved teaching, research, institutional governance and graduate quality.

Akume said TETFund's statutory mandate covered physical infrastructure, instructional materials and equipment, research and publications, as well as academic staff training and development.

He, however, warned that the availability of physical infrastructure alone could not guarantee the success of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

According to him, institutions must also invest in research, adequately equipped workshops and facilities that support knowledge development and the training of teachers.

He called for reforms to ensure that postgraduate training strengthened Nigerian institutions, while research findings were translated into commercial products, public policy and practical solutions to national challenges.

The SGF also advocated stronger collaboration among institutions to maximise the use of expensive research facilities and increase the production of patents, licences, start-ups and other innovations.

On students' welfare, Akume emphasised the need to improve accommodation, electricity supply, internet connectivity, laboratory facilities, libraries and campus security.

He said the overall quality of students' experiences remained an important measure of the effectiveness of investments in tertiary education.

The SGF further assured stakeholders that the Federal Government would sustain predictable investment in tertiary education, while ensuring that TETFund's interventions complemented, rather than replaced, the responsibilities of state and other institutional proprietors.

He called for stronger partnerships among educational institutions, industry, alumni, students and civil society to commercialise research, support scholarships, safeguard public assets and promote accountability.

Akume urged institutions to access their allocations promptly, execute projects to the required standards and provide clear evidence of the benefits derived from public investments.

He said the ultimate test of TETFund's performance should be the human capital and institutional capabilities Nigeria develops, rather than the number of buildings constructed.

“The ultimate measure of TETFund's impact will be the capability Nigeria builds. Let us build institutions worthy of Nigeria's ambition and human capital equal to Nigeria's promise,” he said.