The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) was established with the vision of transforming Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions through infrastructure, research, and academic support. However, at the Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun State, a disturbing trend of long delays in the completion of TETFund-sponsored projects has once again brought to light questions about efficiency, accountability, and project management in the nation’s education sector.
When The Nigeria Education News visited the Federal College of Education (FCE), Osiele, it was discovered that several recently commissioned buildings, which were intended to provide relief from decades-old infrastructural challenges, had their contracts awarded as far back as 2013, 2015, and 2018. Shockingly, these projects were only completed in 2025, raising eyebrows over what caused such a lengthy delay in the delivery of facilities critical to academic development.
The newly commissioned blocks, which include lecture halls, staff offices, and a library extension, were initially meant to be completed within two to three years. Instead, they lingered in abandoned states for nearly a decade before the present administration managed to see them through. Students and staff, who had long anticipated these facilities, expressed mixed feelings—gratitude that the structures are finally functional, but frustration that their delivery took an entire generation of learners to achieve.
While the situation at FCE Osiele is troubling, it is far from isolated. The Nigeria Education News has, in the past year, visited several other tertiary institutions grappling with similar setbacks in TETFund projects. At the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, several lecture theatres and hostel projects funded by TETFund have suffered delays stretching beyond five years. Many of these structures still stand in varying stages of completion, despite repeated commissioning ceremonies and promises from contractors.
Similarly, at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, a number of science laboratory projects and faculty buildings that were meant to boost the institution’s research capacity have dragged on for years. Students lamented that while new intakes are increasing, facilities remain inadequate, forcing overcrowding in classrooms that should have long been supplemented by TETFund structures.
At Federal Polytechnic Offa in Kwara State, the story is no different. The Nigeria Education News team observed several abandoned or slowly progressing TETFund projects on campus. Polytechnic staff revealed that contractors often cite funding delays, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and inflation as excuses for failing to deliver on time, yet the brunt of these challenges falls on students who lack adequate facilities.
Ibadan Polytechnic has also struggled with delays in TETFund interventions. The Nigeria Education News documented instances of abandoned auditoriums and hostel complexes whose foundations were laid nearly a decade ago but have yet to be completed. According to some lecturers, the situation discourages students, particularly in technical fields that require up-to-date laboratories and workshops.
Even universities with federal status are not exempt. At the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), certain building projects under TETFund’s intervention programmes were observed to have spanned nearly eight years before completion. These include lecture halls and departmental complexes that students said could have eased the pressure on limited academic space if delivered on time.
The Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) and Ekiti State University (EKSU) have also experienced protracted delays in TETFund building projects. In FUOYE, a faculty building awarded in 2016 was completed only in 2024, while EKSU continues to grapple with uncompleted lecture theatres that were supposed to serve as relief to their overstretched facilities.
At Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, a school with a strong reputation for academic excellence, several TETFund projects have lingered far beyond their original timelines. During The Nigeria Education News’ visit, some staff members pointed out that incomplete hostels and classrooms stand as a testament to systemic inefficiency in project execution.
In the Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, students and lecturers voiced dismay over delayed TETFund building deliveries. Projects started in 2017 were only completed in late 2024, with some still awaiting final touches. The delays, they argued, disrupted academic programming and increased the strain on available facilities.
The situation at the University of Abuja mirrors these challenges. Several large-scale TETFund projects, including faculty buildings and student hostels, have remained under construction for years. Students and staff told The Nigeria Education News that these delays contribute to overcrowded lecture halls and inadequate accommodation.
At the University of Ilorin and Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, the delays have also been glaring. Students at UNILORIN recalled how certain lecture theatres, which were supposed to be delivered in 2015, were not ready until 2023, while at Kwara Poly, hostel facilities abandoned midway have worsened accommodation shortages.
Stakeholders have argued that these recurring delays across Nigerian tertiary institutions point to systemic issues in how TETFund projects are awarded, monitored, and completed. While TETFund has continued to release billions of naira annually to institutions, the execution stage is often marred by weak contractor performance, inflationary pressures, and administrative lapses that leave projects in limbo.
Education experts told The Nigeria Education News that the slow pace of delivery undermines the very purpose of TETFund. “If a project meant for 2013 is completed in 2025, it has already failed in addressing the needs it was designed to solve,” said one expert. “The student population keeps increasing every year, and when facilities lag behind, the quality of learning suffers.”
As Nigeria’s tertiary institutions continue to grapple with rising enrolments and limited resources, the urgent need for accountability in TETFund project delivery cannot be overstated. The case of FCE Osiele, alongside other institutions visited including LAUTECH, FCE (Special) Oyo, FUNAAB, FUOYE, EKSU, OAU, University of Abuja, University of Ilorin, Kwara Poly, and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education serves as a glaring reminder that education infrastructure must be delivered on time to serve its purpose.
