The Nigerian federal ministry of education has announced the commencement of disbursement under the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund (TISSF), a landmark initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” designed to strengthen staff welfare, institutional productivity and innovation across the country’s tertiary education system.
Launched in August 2025 following a high-level stakeholder session in July, the TISSF has now moved from planning to action, with over 9,000 staff beneficiaries receiving disbursements in the first year. This represents 28% of the 33,000 verified applicants drawn from 219 Federal and State tertiary institutions across the federation.
In the first year of implementation, the beneficiary composition reflects a 30:70 ratio of academic to non-academic staff, underscoring the Ministry’s commitment to inclusive support for all categories of tertiary institution personnel.
Speaking on the milestone, the minister of education Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, commended the leadership and vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In his own words, “the president is delivering for our tertiary institutions— for welfare, for productivity, and for the future.”
The minister added that” just within four months, payments have started going out. This is a President that delivers, and the ministry of education is profoundly grateful for his continuous support and commitment to staff welfare.”
The TISSF Initiative represents a critical component of the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) framework. It is strategically designed to improve the welfare, morale, and performance of tertiary institution staff while reinforcing the institutions as centres of excellence, innovation, and knowledge creation.
Through concessionary zero interest loans and welfare support packages, the TISSF empowers staff by offering each staff up to N10 million in loans to address key livelihood and productivity challenges, including access to housing, education, healthcare, mobility, and small business development.
“This Fund is not merely about disbursement; it is about restoring dignity, rewarding dedication, and rebuilding the foundation of our knowledge economy,” said Dr. Alausa.
The federal ministry of education has reaffirmed its commitment to transparent fund management, quarterly financial reporting, and continuous engagement with participating institutions to ensure that every naira disbursed translates into improved welfare, motivation, and institutional performance as well as repayments to ensure more members of our tertiary institutions can benefit from the initiative.
