By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), has disbursed over ₦100 billion to selected tertiary institutions across Nigeria to expand medical sciences training and address the nation’s critical shortage of healthcare professionals.
TETFUND Governing Board Chairman, Aminu Masari, announced the intervention on Saturday in Katsina, noting it aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to curb brain drain in the health sector.
Under the scheme, three institutions in each geopolitical zone, comprising universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, have received ₦4 billion each to fund projects that will boost their capacity to train doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and other medical professionals.
“This initiative will enhance healthcare delivery by significantly increasing the number of trained personnel in the system,” Masari said.
The ₦100 billion medical allocation forms part of TETFUND’s record ₦1.6 trillion revenue from the 3% education tax on company profits for 2025, the agency’s highest collection to date. Of this, ₦460 billion has been earmarked for interventions across tertiary institutions nationwide.
Beneficiaries were selected based on proposals and institutional needs.
Other allocations include ₦225 billion to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to support the Federal Government’s student loan scheme; ₦70 billion for tertiary institutions to develop solar or gas-based power systems; and ₦25 billion to strengthen campus security through infrastructure such as streetlights.
Masari stressed that a dedicated monitoring and evaluation team will ensure all funds are used strictly for approved projects.
He described the medical sciences investment as a strategic policy step toward rebuilding Nigeria’s struggling healthcare system.