Nigeria's Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has issued a formal directive to vice chancellors of all 78 federal universities, ordering them to rebuild and properly staff their Advancement Offices as a matter of urgency. The mandate came after only 18 vice chancellors attended the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) National University Advancement Programme Forum, where the minister expressed frustration at the low turnout from university leadership.
At the forum, held on July 14, Alausa noted that just 30 of Nigeria's 78 federal universities had enrolled in the FME-NHEF Advancement Programme. "For something this important to the future and financial sustainability of our universities, we must do better," Alausa wrote on his official X account, @DrTunjiAlausa, following the event.
Alausa's mandate to vice chancellors
The minister said the directive to strengthen Advancement Offices is no longer optional. He instructed vice chancellors to place these offices directly under their own oversight, ensure that advancement professionals receive adequate support and job stability, and make full use of the training resources provided through the NHEF partnership.
Alausa argued that universities are sitting on untapped funding sources including alumni networks, research grants, private-sector partnerships, philanthropy, and endowment funds, but have consistently failed to build the structures needed to access them. "The era of waiting for government to fund everything must end," he said, adding that mobilising alternative revenue should now be considered part of every vice chancellor's professional legacy.
He acknowledged that President Bola Tinubu's administration remains committed to education funding, but made clear that vice chancellors share responsibility for financial diversification. "Blended financing is the way forward," the minister said, citing research grants, alumni engagement, philanthropy, private-sector investment, and endowment funds as the components of a viable model.
NHEF partnership at the centre of reform push
Alausa thanked Wale Adeosun, Founder and CEO of Kuramo Capital Management, and the broader NHEF team for their collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education in supporting the push to revitalise Advancement Offices across federal universities. The minister said Nigeria does not need to develop a new model from scratch, but should adopt and adapt global best practices that have already proven effective in building financially sustainable institutions.
Previously, Legit.ng reported that an education consultant publicly called for the dismissal of Nigeria's minister of education, Tunji Alausa, saying the country's learning system has failed to move beyond basic schooling and is ill-equipped to address the nation's pressing challenges. President Bola Tinubu appointed Alausa as the country's minister of education on October 23, 2024. Prior to this role, he served as the minister of state for health and social welfare. The minister's latest directive now places the onus on vice chancellors to diversify funding sources, with the NHEF partnership serving as the primary vehicle for training and support in this effort.
