Education Ministry, Athena Centre Partner on University Transparency Initiatives

The Federal Ministry of Education has partnered with the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership on initiatives to track transparency and strengthen accountability across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

A statement by the ministry’s spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo, said the partnership involves launching a compliance-tracking platform that will publicly monitor whether institutions meet the ministry’s directive to publish financial and institutional data by 31 May.

Another partnership component is the establishment of a University Transparency Index, a benchmarking tool that will assess institutions based on audit compliance, financial openness, and governance practices.

The statement quoted the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, as saying that strengthening transparency and promoting responsible financial conduct remains a priority in the ministry’s National Education Sector Reform Initiative (NESRI).

Financial Transparency in Universities

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how a survey conducted by the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership in 64 Nigerian universities revealed the lack of financial transparency in the institutions.

The report found that none of the surveyed institutions had published their budgets, and many also ignored Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, noting it contributes to a culture of secrecy that “undermines access to global research funding and damages international credibility.”

Ministerial directive

Shortly after the survey was made public, the Minister of Education, Mr Alausa, directed all the tertiary institutions to publish their annual financial statements including revenue generated internally and allocations received as well as data on student population.

He directed that the information be published on the institutions’ websites by 31 May.

Mr Alausa emphasised that the information be presented in a clear, accessible, and user-friendly format for public visibility.

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Following Mr Alausa’s directive, the centre announced plans to launch a compliance-tracking initiative of the minister’s directive.

It also said it was working with stakeholders to establish an annual university transparency index to rate universities by audit compliance, financial disclosure, and governance effectiveness.

Centre welcomes partnership

In a statement by its Media Adviser, Aliyu Jalal, the centre welcomes the collaboration with the education ministry and commended the minister, Mr Alausa, for his commitment to institutional reforms.

The centre said it will also provide technical assistance to institutions, including support for bursars and ICT heads in implementing open financial portals and adopting international reporting frameworks such as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

It added that training programmes are being developed to equip these officials with the tools necessary for transparent management and reporting.

“This is a bold and much-needed move that signals that the Ministry is serious about restoring integrity to Nigeria’s higher education governance,” the statement said.

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“We are happy that our Athena Governance Insight report, which revealed widespread failures in university transparency, has informed and influenced this important national conversation and set pathways for reform.”

According to the centre, the Index will “reward credible leadership, stimulate healthy competition, and reposition Nigerian universities for global relevance.”

Athena Centre’s founder and former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, described the initiative as “a landmark opportunity to move from diagnosis to reform.”

Mr Chidoka praised the Ministry for “choosing collaboration over defensiveness and transparency over opacity,” and pledged that the Centre would bring “rigour and independence” to the effort.