By Abdullahi Lukman
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved ₦70 billion for the implementation of a Mini-Grid Solar Power Project under the 2025 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention cycle, aimed at promoting renewable energy across Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, announced the development at the 2025 TETFund National Town Hall Meeting held in Abuja.
He stated that twelve institutions have been selected in the first phase, including the Nigerian Army University, Biu; Northwest University, Kano; Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri; and Lagos State University.
Masari emphasized that the solar project aligns with the Fund’s commitment to sustainable energy and enhancing learning environments.
He also highlighted progress under Tinubu’s administration, including scholarship support for 3,332 master’s and 4,796 PhD candidates under the Fund’s local academic staff sponsorships.
He reaffirmed TETFund’s vision to make Nigerian institutions globally competitive and innovation-driven, pledging continued investment in alternative energy, research, digital learning, and partnerships with industries and global bodies for research commercialization.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, commended the president for raising the education tax from 2.5% to 3%, which has expanded the Fund’s capacity to support higher education.
He also disclosed a temporary suspension of foreign training—except for specialized programmes—pending a new policy framework.
This move, he said, follows the president’s concerns over scholars failing to return after government-sponsored studies abroad.
Echono noted that new measures will ensure foreign-trained scholars are bonded to return and contribute to national development.
Meanwhile, former ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, cautioned against the rising number of new universities, calling them “constituency projects” that often lack proper structure and rely solely on TETFund for funding.
He urged the National Assembly to pass legislation preventing new institutions from accessing TETFund interventions until they have operated for at least five to ten years.