ABUJA — The Federal Ministry of Education has launched the Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance Transparency Platform (FTIGTP), a digital initiative hailed as a visionary and consequential step toward establishing a single, unified, and publicly accessible database for Nigeria’s federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The platform (accessible at https://transparency.education.gov.ng/) is designed to enhance accountability, promote financial transparency and enable evidence-based governance across the nation’s tertiary education sector.
The FTIGTP fundamentally addresses the historical challenge of fragmented and scattered data in Nigeria’s higher education system. The platform, which was developed in partnership with the tertiary institutions themselves, consolidates critical information into six main sections: Students, Budget, Research, TETFund, NELFUND and Endowment Fund.
Speaking at the launch, the Honourable Minister of Education, Chief Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, emphasised the reformative nature of the initiative.
“For the first time in the history of Nigeria, we are having a unified database for performance indicators, budget, and enrolment. This is a reform initiative to promote transparency and results-based governance,”
Dr. Alausa stated. “It provides the integrity needed for international collaboration and will help determine funding allocations to tertiary institutions.”
The platform demonstration was expertly conducted by Isah Abubakar, showcasing its functionality and the wealth of information now accessible to the public.
The platform currently hosts detailed information from 2022 to 2024, covering over 80% of federal tertiary institutions regarding student enrolment numbers.
Public access allows anyone to navigate to a specific institution and find an in-depth analysis, including:
● Enrolment per school
● Budget per school
● Detailed breakdown of costs (Capital, Personnel, and Overhead Costs)
● Research grants received
● Total university, polytechnic and college of education students
The launch event featured strong endorsements from education leaders and stakeholders, all praising the minister’s drive for transformation.
The Honourable Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmed, noted that the platform provides a crucial opportunity for accountability and “enhances the ability to generate resources and judiciously utilise the resources.”
Professor Tanko Ishaya, Chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities (and Vice Chancellor, University of Jos), pledged the full commitment of all Vice Chancellors. He highlighted the public relations benefit, stating, “Several community members do not have in-depth understanding of the amazing things tertiary institutions do, and that is one of the reasons we are doing this.”
Dr. Salisu Shehu Umar, Chairman of the Committee of Rectors of Polytechnics, echoed this support, stressing that the platform will help achieve the good governance and transparency required in tertiary education.
Hon. Osita Chidoka, Former Aviation Minister, congratulated the Minister for the achievement, calling the initiative “visionary and consequential”. He added, “This is what happens when evidence meets good leadership. This platform demonstrates the truth that activism rooted in evidence works.”
To enforce timely data submission, the Minister announced a new compliance mechanism:
● Institutions must submit data for the previous year during the first quarter of every year.
● A Certificate of Clearance from the University’s Director of ICT is now required before a university’s funding for ICT will be released. This certificate is only granted upon successful upload of the previous year’s required data.
The platform’s design ensures seamless data flow: all Directors of ICT and Bursars have admin login details and the Vice Chancellors and Registrars receive email feedback on every upload. Additionally, each federal university will feature a specific URL link on its institutional website that directs the public to its page within the FTIGTP portal.
Looking ahead, Dr. Alausa revealed plans to expand the initiative to state and private universities via the National Universities Commission (NUC) once the system is fully perfected by the federal institutions. He concluded his remarks by urging university leaders to also analyse current global labour demands and create courses that align with these in-demand areas.
Closing the ceremony, Zainab Abubakar, Director of the ICT Department at the Federal Ministry of Education, expressed gratitude and affirmed the platform’s importance by quoting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: “Data is the lifeblood of effective governance.”
SNIPPETS FROM THE PLATFORM
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.