Lecturers studying abroad under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) sponsorship programme have urged President Bola Tinubu to investigate the disbursement of bailout funds approved by the Presidency. The scholars, under the banner of the Omitted Foreign Scholars (OFS), claim they were excluded from receiving funds meant to ease the burden of rising foreign exchange rates, despite being eligible.
The OFS, representing over 600 lecturers, expressed their concerns in a statement signed by Executive Members Mallam Basheer Tijjani Shettima and Larry Awo. They assert that TETFund failed to include them in the disbursement, even though they are legitimate beneficiaries of the programme.
However, TETFund has dismissed these claims, labeling the scholars as “impostors and blackmailers.” The agency insists it has settled all genuine claims submitted by lecturers under its foreign scholarship programme. TETFund has yet to release a detailed response, nor did they provide a named signatory for their press release, raising concerns among the scholars.
In response to TETFund’s allegations, the OFS issued a statement: “TETFund lied in the report published by a National Daily when it claimed that we are impostors, because we are not. Such a claim becomes irresponsible when no official of the fund could give his or her name as the signatory to the press release.”
The OFS emphasized that they have documents substantiating their claims, which they are ready to present to an investigative panel. They called on President Tinubu, Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman, and the National Assembly to launch a probe into the matter to determine the truth between their claims and TETFund’s assertions.
The outcome of this issue could have far-reaching implications for the future of Nigeria’s academic sponsorship programmes, as well as the integrity of TETFund’s foreign scholarship disbursements.
