By Joseph Erunke
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a sum of ₦70 billion for the implementation of the Mini-Grid Solar Power Project under the 2025 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention cycle.
Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2025 TETFund National Town Hall Meeting, which brought together key stakeholders in the education sector, including top government officials, vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and representatives of academic unions.
Masari, a former governor of Katsina State and one-time Speaker of the House of Representatives, said the solar project is part of efforts to promote renewable and sustainable energy solutions in Nigerian tertiary institutions. He explained that twelve (12) institutions have been selected in the first phase of the project.
The benefiting institutions include the Nigerian Army University, Biu, Borno State; Northwest University, Kano; Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State; Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri, Imo State; and Lagos State University, among others.
According to Masari, the Town Hall Meeting was a major step towards strengthening transparency, inclusivity, and responsiveness in the nation’s tertiary education system.
He highlighted some of the milestones achieved by the Fund under President Tinubu’s administration, noting that over 3,332 scholars have benefited from TETFund’s master’s degree sponsorships, while 4,796 have been supported for PhD programmes under the local component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff.
“The Fund continues to support teaching practice, conference attendance, research, and development, thereby ensuring that Nigerian tertiary institutions are equipped with a highly trained and globally exposed academic workforce,” Masari said.
He added that the Board envisions Nigerian tertiary institutions that are globally competitive, research-oriented, and innovation-driven, producing graduates who are employable, entrepreneurial, and capable of solving national challenges.
“To achieve this, we will continue to strengthen accountability and transparency frameworks, expand investments in alternative energy and digital learning platforms, promote advanced research in agriculture, health, and technology, and deepen collaboration with industries and international partners to drive research commercialization and sustainable impact,” he stated.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono commended President Tinubu for his strong support for tertiary education, especially through the recent increase in the education tax allocation from 2.5% to 3%. He noted that the increase has significantly boosted the Fund’s intervention capacity.
Echono also clarified that the Fund had temporarily suspended foreign training of scholars, except for specialized programmes, pending the introduction of a new policy framework. According to him, this decision followed the President’s directive to curb the trend of scholars absconding after completing government-sponsored studies abroad.
“Mr. President complained that so many of the people we send abroad for studies do not return, and he felt it was unfair,” Echono stated. “He has therefore instructed that measures be put in place,not to stop foreign training entirely,but to ensure that beneficiaries are properly bonded and return to contribute their knowledge to national development.”
Also speaking at the event, the former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, cautioned against the proliferation of universities, which he described as “constituency projects.” He argued that many of these new institutions are primarily established to benefit from TETFund interventions, rather than to enhance access to quality education.
Osodeke urged the National Assembly to enact a law barring newly established universities and other tertiary institutions from accessing TETFund interventions until they have operated for at least five to ten years.
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