FG disburses N11.8bn to over 6,800 tertiary institution workers

The Federal Government has disbursed a total of N11.8 billion to 6,842 academic and non-academic staff across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions under its welfare and financial support programme.

According to data released by the Federal Ministry of Education, the beneficiaries were drawn from 141 institutions, including federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

The intervention is aimed at improving staff welfare and supporting workers within the education sector, which has faced persistent challenges ranging from funding constraints to industrial disputes.

The loans were issued under the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), a programme designed to improve staff welfare, career development, and financial stability across the education sector.

The data shows that 34,000 applicants from 219 institutions have been verified so far, with federal university staff accounting for the highest share at 59 per cent, followed by polytechnics at 23 per cent and colleges of education at 18 per cent.

Launched in August 2025 by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with TETFund, the TISSF provides interest-free loans of up to N10m for eligible academic and non-academic staff, with a minimum of five years to retirement required for qualification.

The ministry also disclosed that under the broader Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, 240 e-tricycles have been distributed across 12 institutions to support staff mobility.

Other components of the initiative include the EduRevamp Teacher Platform, a digital training programme launched in January 2026, which has recorded about 37,000 registered users and 18,000 fully enrolled teachers, as well as the School Safety Portal developed with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to strengthen safety management in schools.

The Federal Government said these interventions are part of ongoing efforts to improve welfare conditions and strengthen the education sector nationwide.