The Nigerian government has launched the Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance and Transparency Portal (FTIGTP), aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and good governance across the nation’s tertiary education system.
The portal was unveiled by the Federal Ministry of Education.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa at the launch in Abuja, Nigeria said the portal will restore public trust and enable evidence-based policies and reforms in the universities aimed at improving performance-based funding decisions and resource allocation.
He said the portal became imperative because for many years, data on tertiary education in Nigeria has been scattered across multiple platforms, paper reports, and inconsistent submissions.
‘’The FTIGTP serves as a single, nationwide source of accurate data and financial information about tertiary institutions, guide against misuse of funds, and foster trust in the management of our tertiary system.
“For the first time, Nigeria will have a unified platform that offers real-time visibility into students’ enrolment, Government funding – capital, recurrent, and personnel, local and international research grants attracted by institutions, TETFund allocations, NELFund interventions, performance indicators that allow for benchmarking across institutions,’’ he said.
According to the minister, the development is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to enhancing accountability and good governance in the education sector, which the Ministry has promised to implement in a transparent system, that will allow Nigerians to see how resources are used and the benefits gained from investments in the country’s tertiary education system.
He said the FTIGTP platform provides a new chapter of transparency and operational efficiency for institutions, enabling better planning and budgeting, stronger partnership opportunities with industry and development partners, improved credibility for international collaboration, accurate and timely reporting to the government, and enhanced competition and performance benchmarking.
He called on leaders and other stakeholders of tertiary institutions in Nigeria to ensure the success of the platform because of the inherent advantages.
‘’For the government, it ensures, evidence-based policy formulation, better monitoring by the general public, integrity, accountability, and value for money.
‘’To our Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, and the entire management of our institutions: you are vital to the success of this platform. Your cooperation, prompt reporting, and dedication will have a significant impact on how this innovation affects the sector and the nation,’’ said the minister.
Dr. Alausa said going forward all tertiary institutions must comply with the mandatory data submission schedule at the first quarter of every year, stressing that financial reporting on the platform will be part of the institutional performance evaluation by local and international partners.
‘’Funding, support, and interventions will increasingly be tied to transparency and accountability metrics. All institutions will be required to get a clearance certificate from the Director ICT annually before TETFUND ICT intervention is released to them,’’ he said.
He explained that the portal will embed Nigeria’s education system in a globally competitive system rooted in transparency and quality outcomes. He urged all stakeholders to work together to sustain the transformation.
‘’The students of this nation, and the world, are watching. History will remember us as the administration that restored integrity, innovation, and excellence to our tertiary education system,’’ he said.
He added that the development will be cascaded to Private Universities, states, and Local government in the country.
Visionary steps
The Former Minister of Aviation and the Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Dr. Osita Chidoka in a remark said the initiative is both visionary and consequential as the platform represents the natural step taken from the evidence-based analysis conducted on Nigeria’s tertiary institution.
‘’We published a report about the absence of transparency in our tertiary institutions, and many were not happy about it, but the Minister of Education took the challenge and that is the result we are seeing today with the launch of the FTIGTP. It shows what happens when evidence meets good leadership.
‘’His swift action in mandating public disclosure of financial and institutional data underscores his deep respect for research-driven governance and his capacity for implementation,’’ said Chidoka
He said the per capita income in Nigeria is low compared to South Africa; Egypt amongst other countries, as such there was the need to seek global funding to improve universities in the country.
” International collaboration and funding could be made possible when transparency and data are available. We need to come together, create transparency, and make it work for all Nigerians, which has been demonstrated by the Minister of Education,’’ he said.
The launch was attended by Vice Chancellors, Provosts, Rectors and stakeholders of Public Universities in Nigeria
