The Federal government has announced commencement of disbursement under the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund (TISSF), designed to strengthen staff welfare, institutional productivity, and innovation across Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
The Fund which was launched in August 2025, would have over 9,000 staff beneficiaries receiving disbursements in the first year. This figure according to the Federal Ministry of Education, represents 28% of the 33,000 verified applicants drawn from 219 Federal and State tertiary institutions across the federation.
A statement signed by the Director Press & Public Relations of the ministry Boriowo Folasade late Thursday night, explained that 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.
According to the statement the Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Alausa commended the leadership and vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu saying, “The President is delivering for our tertiary institutions — for welfare, for productivity, and for the future.
“Within just 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.
“This Fund is not merely about disbursement; it is about restoring dignity, rewarding dedication, and rebuilding the foundation of our knowledge economy.”
The TISSF Initiative represents a critical component of the Federal Government’s 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 10 Million Naira loan to address key livelihood and productivity challenges including access to housing, education, healthcare, mobility, and small business development.
The ministry 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.
