Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari
By Felix Khanoba
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has approved a N70 billion intervention to tackle power shortages in Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education through solar energy projects.
Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, disclosed this on Wednesday during the 2025 TETFund National Town Hall Meeting held in Abuja.
Masari said the newly introduced Mini-Grid Solar Power Project would deliver renewable and affordable electricity to 18 tertiary institutions across the country, noting that the initiative is designed to resolve one of the sector’s most enduring challenges — unreliable power supply.
He described the project as “a deliberate step towards energy sustainability, innovation, and academic excellence,” adding that stable electricity remains the foundation for effective teaching, research, and technological growth.
According to him, the Fund’s investment would liberate campuses from erratic national grid connections and the burden of high energy costs.
The former Katsina State governor explained that TETFund’s current strategy rests on three key pillars: transforming tertiary education into a centre of innovation and productivity; improving transparency and impact assessment; and promoting research, technology, and entrepreneurship.
He credited President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for providing the policy framework for these reforms, which he said are repositioning TETFund as “a catalyst for national development through knowledge and innovation.”
Highlighting some of the agency’s achievements, Masari listed the construction of lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries, ICT resource centres, and student hostels across campuses nationwide.
“These projects are not mere structures; they are symbols of a nation investing in its future,” he said.
Masari further noted that TETFund has established 48 Centres of Excellence and multipurpose research laboratories focusing on biotechnology, renewable energy, food security, governance, and health sciences.
On medical education, he said the Fund has launched simulation facilities in eight universities — the first of their kind in Nigeria — to provide hands-on clinical training for students.
He also mentioned that TETFund’s agricultural initiatives, including demonstration farms, are bridging the gap between theory and practice while boosting food security and agripreneurship among students.
Additionally, the Fund has set up Innovation Hubs and Entrepreneurship Centres in 15 institutions to drive creativity and promote technology-based enterprise development.
On his part, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, described the N70 billion solar initiative as part of a broader reform effort. He revealed that President Tinubu had mobilised over ₦200 billion in additional funding from alternative sources to complement TETFund’s investment, ensuring campuses nationwide operate on sustainable and independent power.
“Mr. President is personally committed to ending the power crisis in our tertiary institutions. When you talk about Band A or Band C, those categories no longer apply to us. We are building self-sustaining, energy-secure campuses for the future,” Echono said.
He commended Tinubu’s steadfast support for the education sector, noting that the president stopped attempts to reduce the education tax from 3 per cent to 2.5 per cent — a move that safeguarded billions in annual revenue.
Echono added that the president had also approved major investments in student welfare, including the construction of 24 new Renewed Hope Hostels with 72 more expected next year.
He revealed that TETFund would roll out campus electric vehicle transport systems before the end of the year in partnership with student unions, to improve mobility and lower transport costs.
“President Tinubu believes students deserve to learn and live in dignity. He insists that no Nigerian child should be denied education because of poverty, that is why we now have one of the most robust National Student Loan Schemes in the world,” Echono said.
