The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has disbursed more than ₦100 billion to selected tertiary institutions nationwide to enhance medical sciences training and tackle the shortage of healthcare professionals.
TETFUND Governing Board Chairman, Aminu Masari, revealed this in Katsina on Saturday, stating that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to curb brain drain in the health sector. According to Masari, the president is concerned about the impact of talent loss on the nation’s healthcare system and is implementing targeted interventions to strengthen it.
Under the programme, three tertiary institutions from each geopolitical zone received ₦4 billion each to expand infrastructure and academic capacity for admitting and training more medical students. The goal, Masari said, is to double the number of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and other skilled health workers, thereby improving healthcare delivery across Nigeria.
He explained that the 2025 allocation is TETFUND’s largest so far being ₦1.6 trillion sourced from the 3% education tax on company profits as stipulated by law. Of this amount, ₦460 billion was designated for various interventions in tertiary institutions. At the state level, one university, one polytechnic, and one college of education in each state were selected based on needs and available resources.
Masari also noted that ₦225 billion has been allocated to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund for the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, while ₦70 billion is set aside to support energy projects in tertiary institutions, enabling them to establish solar or gas-powered facilities. Additionally, ₦25 billion has been reserved to help institutions improve campus security.
TETFUND’s monitoring and evaluation team, including consultants, will oversee the projects to ensure funds are used for their intended purposes.
“The institutions will use the intervention for various projects that pertain to security, such as the installation of street lights within their campuses and other similar projects,” Masari said.
