The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has firmly rejected claims that it deliberately omitted Nigerian scholars’ names from a presidential bailout.
The controversy centers on Kamal Adewole Saka, a Ph.D. candidate from Federal University, Oye Ekiti, who alleged that TETFund staff embezzled a portion of his scholarship funds.
TETFund clarified that Saka’s tuition, amounting to N27,573,350, was fully paid to Girne American University, Cyprus, as of November 2022.
The Fund’s Director of Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi,in a statement on Friday stated, “These allegations are baseless. All tuition fees have been duly settled directly with the institutions.”
The Fund has disbursed over N3.8 billion to aid around 1,500 scholars affected by exchange rate fluctuations. Despite this, Saka accused TETFund of mismanaging his funds. Oniyangi countered, “The bailout was meticulously processed based on verified claims, and Saka’s tuition was covered as per our guidelines.”
Following a review of its procedures, TETFund introduced several policy changes to streamline payments and improve communication with beneficiaries. However, Oniyangi emphasized that “the correct channel for addressing concerns is through the home institutions, not through public accusations.”
The Fund has reported Saka’s claims to his home institution and warned of potential legal action if necessary.
