Publish or Perish : FG Reads Riot Acts Against Varsities

Abuja, Nigeria – A recent directive by the Federal Government mandating federal tertiary institutions to publicly disclose key financial and institutional data on their websites has largely been ignored, with a staggering 97% of institutions failing to comply by the May 31, 2025 deadline. This widespread default has raised concerns about transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s public university system.

The order, issued by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, required institutions to publish details such as yearly budgetary allocation, research grants, previous year’s revenue, current year’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocation, endowment fund, and total student population. Failure to comply could lead to a risk of zero funding, a move aimed at enhancing the integrity and global competitiveness of the nation’s education sector.

Despite these stringent warnings, a comprehensive check on 41 sampled major federal institutions revealed dismal adherence. Only two universities, the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, achieved full compliance.

Three institutions – the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE) – were found to be in substantial compliance, having most but not all required data.

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A significant 22 federal universities, including prominent ones like the University of Ibadan (UI), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, showed only partial compliance, often providing student enrollment figures but omitting crucial financial details.

Most concerning are the 14 institutions with zero compliance. This list includes the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, among others. Officials from some of these defaulting institutions cited ongoing processes or lack of awareness of the directive.

The directive aligns with global best practices, where public disclosure of financial records by universities is standard, fostering trust with government, the public, and potential donors. Examples from the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa underscore this international norm.

Stakeholders have pointed to weak Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in many institutions as a primary reason for the low compliance. Prof. Idris Bugaje, Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), lamented that most institutions are “digitally backward.”

He suggested that the government might need to extend the deadline to allow institutions to improve their infrastructure and upload the necessary information.

While some university spokespersons, like Dr. Habib Yakoob of UNIABUJA and Adegbenro Adebanjo of FUTA, stated their institutions were working on compliance, others, like Dr. Sam Kpenu of UNIPORT, claimed ignorance of the memo.

The TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, had previously warned that institutions failing to meet performance benchmarks, mismanage funds, or not meet enrollment and academic standards risk losing eligibility for TETFund support programs. This stern warning indicates the government’s resolve to enforce accountability, even as many institutions struggle to meet the basic requirement of online transparency.