Approved but Unpaid: Tertiary Staff Await Funds as FG Announces New TISSF Application Phase

The Federal Government says it has completed the disbursement of more than N13 billion under the 2025/2026 Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), benefiting 7,450 academic and non-academic staff across public tertiary institutions nationwide.

The government also announced that applications for the 2026/2027 cycle of the interest-free loan scheme would commence at the end of June.

The disclosure is contained in a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Boriowo Folasade.

According to the ministry, the intervention, administered by the Bank of Industry (BOI), is one of the largest staff welfare initiatives in Nigeria’s education sector and aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The ministry said the scheme provides interest-free loans of up to N10 million to eligible staff of public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to support personal and professional development.

It stated that since disbursements commenced on Oct. 28, 2025, more than 42,000 applications had been processed through the programme’s digital platform.

“Universities accounted for 52 per cent of disbursements, while colleges of education and polytechnics represented 25 per cent and 23 per cent respectively,” the statement said.

The ministry added that beneficiaries were drawn from all six geopolitical zones of the country and noted that female staff accounted for 19 per cent of recipients during the cycle under review.

Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, described the programme as a critical component of the Federal Government’s education reform agenda, stressing that staff welfare remained essential to improving teaching, research and innovation in tertiary institutions.

He encouraged eligible workers to take advantage of the next application phase.

However, findings indicate that some approved beneficiaries are yet to receive the loans despite the government’s announcement of completed disbursement.

A staff member of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his application was approved months ago but the payment had yet to reflect in his account.

According to the staff member, the portal still indicates that the loan is “disbursement in progress.”

“We received approval notifications and were hopeful that the funds would be released shortly. Up till now, some of us have not received the money, while the portal continues to show ‘disbursement in progress’,” he said.

The staff member appealed to the Federal Ministry of Education and the Bank of Industry to provide further clarification on the status of pending payments to approved applicants.

The ministry, in its statement, said it was improving the application process and deepening engagement with participating institutions to ensure a faster and more efficient experience for applicants in subsequent phases.

It also disclosed plans for increased sensitisation and outreach to boost participation among female staff and improve uptake in regions with lower application rates.

Applications for the 2026/2027 phase of the TISSF are expected to open before the end of June, with eligible academic and non-academic staff advised to liaise with their institutions’ bursary departments and monitor official ministry communication channels for further guidelines.