Taiwo Popoola
The Nigerian government has directed all heads of federal universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other higher institutions to disclose their annual budget and other institutional data for public scrutiny.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, gave this directive in a statement released on Saturday by the ministry’s spokesperson, Boriowo Folasade
The minister said that educational institutions should publish their budget breakdown, research grant, Tertiary Education Trust Fund Allocation, as well as student population on their official websites.
According to the minister, the move is to enshrine accountability and transparency in Nigeria’s education sector.
“In a bold move to entrench transparency, accountability, and good governance in Nigeria’s tertiary education system, the Honourable Minister of Education Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa has issued a comprehensive directive mandating all Federal Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provost to publish key institutional data on their official websites with immediate effect. Aligning Nigeria’s higher education management with global best practices.
“Each institution must provide its Annual Budgetary Allocation in full detail, including the breakdown of expenditure across three core areas: personnel cost, overhead costs and capital expenditure. In addition,
institutions are to disclose their Research Grant Revenue from the previous year.
“This data should be separated into two distinct sources: grants obtained from domestic bodies such as local industries, government agencies, or foundations; and those received from international sources, including foreign institutions, multilateral organizations, and development partners.
“Also to be displayed is the TETFund Allocation for the current year. The Institutions must clearly show the
total amount received from the TETFund, reflecting financial support for academic and infrastructural development in the present calendar year,” the statement said.
The directive further mandates the institutions to publish the total value of their endowment fund as recorded at the end of the previous year. This figure, which reflects funds donated or invested for the institution’s long-term financial health, must be updated quarterly to ensure currency and transparency.
“Finally, institutions are to present their current Total Student Population, which must be categorized into undergraduate and postgraduate levels, thereby providing a clear picture of enrolment and institutional capacity.
“The Ministry emphasizes that this information must be presented in a clear, accessible, and user-friendly format for public visibility. Websites should be structured in a way that allows the public, including parents, students, and stakeholders, to locate and understand these data points.
“All federal institutions are expected to comply fully with this directive and ensure that their websites are completely updated no later than May 31, 2025,” the statement added.
