Education Minister Tunji Alausa has directed public universities to strengthen advancement offices, alumni engagement and alternative fundraising, warning that government allocations alone cannot sustain the long-term needs of tertiary institutions.
Speaking at the National Advancement Forum 2026 in Abuja, Alausa said only four of 68 federal universities were making meaningful use of funding sources such as research grants, endowments, alumni giving, philanthropy and industry partnerships.
He described the situation as unacceptable and urged vice-chancellors to take greater responsibility for resource mobilization.
The minister stressed that the policy was not a withdrawal of government funding.
He said the Federal Government continued to fund personnel costs, allowed universities to retain 75 per cent of internally generated revenue and maintained interventions through TETFund.
Alausa also referred to a framework approved by President Bola Tinubu allowing research and endowment funds greater flexibility outside the Treasury Single Account.
He directed university advancement offices to report directly to vice-chancellors and said directors should have sufficient tenure to build long-term relationships with donors and alumni.
Universities were also asked to maintain functional alumni databases and use technology to strengthen lifelong engagement with graduates in Nigeria and abroad.
The ministry, working with the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation, plans to develop a national framework covering endowment governance, research grants, alumni giving, philanthropy incentives, industry partnerships and revenue transparency.
Public universities will be expected progressively to build endowments, strengthen research-funding capacity and develop more formal relationships with private-sector and philanthropic partners.
Alausa said the objective was a diversified financing model that complemented government support rather than replacing it.
He warned that universities unable to broaden their funding base risked limiting research, infrastructure and academic growth.
