The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the quality and standard of completed and ongoing projects executed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in tertiary institutions across Nigeria, to ensure accountability and value for money.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Aderemi Oseni (APC, Oyo), who called for urgent action to address the declining state of infrastructure in Nigeria’s higher institutions.
In adopting the motion, the House directed the Federal Ministries of Education and Finance, the National Universities Commission (NUC), TETFund, and development partners to develop strategies for refurbishing the nation’s first-generation universities and restoring their lost glory.
Leading the debate, Oseni recalled that Nigeria’s first-generation federal universities—such as the University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria—once represented academic excellence and international prestige. He lamented that these institutions, which were once the pride of the nation in the 1960s, have suffered years of neglect, leading to widespread decay in facilities such as lecture halls, hostels, and auditoriums.
“The beautiful zoos in the universities that attracted tourists from far and near are either empty or non-existent,” he said, expressing concern over the visible deterioration of infrastructure.
Oseni further alleged that several TETFund intervention projects, designed to bridge infrastructure gaps in universities, have been poorly executed. “Many of these newly completed works are deteriorating faster than structures built over 60 years ago,” he noted.
He stressed the need for the Federal Government to embark on a comprehensive refurbishment of the first-generation universities and to thoroughly investigate TETFund projects to ensure transparency, accountability, and value for public funds spent on the initiatives.
