FG Orders Federal Tertiary Institutions to Publish Financial and Academic Data by May 31

In a sweeping move to boost transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, the federal government has mandated all federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to publicly disclose their financial records and academic capacities by May 31, 2025.

The directive was issued by Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and communicated in an official statement signed by Folasade Boriowo, spokesperson for the ministry.

Under the new policy, heads of federal institutions — including vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts — must publish detailed breakdowns of their annual budgetary allocations, covering personnel costs, overhead costs, and capital expenditures.

Institutions are also required to disclose their research grants, including those received from international organizations, multilateral bodies, and development partners. Additionally, data from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) must be made publicly available.

In a move to further promote financial transparency, the minister directed institutions to release the total value of their endowment funds as of the previous year. These figures, he emphasized, must be updated quarterly to maintain transparency and public trust.

On the academic front, schools are to report the current population of undergraduate and postgraduate students, providing insight into enrollment numbers and overall institutional capacity.

The ministry stressed that this information must be published in a clear, user-friendly format that is easily accessible to the public — including parents, students, and stakeholders — via institutional websites.

“All federal institutions are expected to fully comply with this directive,” the statement read. “Websites must be updated accordingly to ensure the public can locate and understand these data points with ease.”

Dr. Alausa warned that the ministry will conduct periodic reviews of institutional websites and impose sanctions on institutions that fail to comply.

The initiative, he noted, is part of a broader reform agenda aimed at restoring public trust, enhancing performance-based funding, and boosting Nigeria’s global educational rankings.

“This policy signals a new era of openness in our tertiary education system,” Alausa said. “It’s time our institutions aligned with international best practices.”