TETFUND: Scholars-Abroad Urge President Tinubu’s Intervention Over Unpaid Bailout-Dispute (Text)

TETFUND: Scholars-Abroad Urge President Tinubu’s Intervention Over Unpaid Bailout-Dispute (Text)

“In a plea addressed to President Bola Tinubu, scholars sponsored by Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to study abroad have sought his intervention regarding withheld bailout funds. The group known as Omitted Foreign Scholars (OFS), representing those excluded from recent disbursements, highlighted their plight in a heartfelt letter dated June 6, 2024.

Kamal Odunjo-Saka, Chairman of the Foreign Scholars, lamented that 45% of those under the TETFUND sponsorship had been omitted from the fund’s distribution. He emphasized the severe impact this omission has had amidst global economic challenges. According to Odunjo-Saka, TETFUND cited eligibility criteria related to program status as grounds for non-payment, a stance disputed by the scholars who claim there was no such segregation during the initial agreement.

The letter detailed instances where scholars who had completed their programs earlier were paid, contrasting sharply with the non-payment of current scholars facing financial hardship. The scholars appealed to President Tinubu to intervene and ensure fair treatment in the disbursement of the bailout funds, originally intended to alleviate COVID-19 impacts, currency devaluation, and inflation on scholars studying between 2017 and 2023.”