JAPA: OVER 137 SPONSORED ON SCHOLARSHIP ABROAD ABSCONDED – TETFUND
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By F.A. Oduola
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) disclosed that over 137 students on scholarship abroad absconded.
The Executive Secretary, TETFUND, Sonny Echono revealed this on Tuesday when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating TETFUND’s alleged mismanagement of the N2.3 trillion tertiary education tax.
According to Echono, the scholars who were sponsored by TETFUND for “higher education” abroad refuse to return to the country after completing their programmes.
He said: “Some of the scholars that have been sponsored, unpatriotically when they go, they enjoy our scholarship, acquire a higher degree, then refuse to come back, it has become a major crisis.
“The scholarship requires that you will come back. It is required that you have a guarantor and in many cases, the guarantor had suffered undue hardship because when you disappear we hold the guarantor to pay all the money expended on your behalf but that has not been effective.”
Echono stated that TETFUND was working with partners to implement “stringent and effective measures” against individuals who refuse to return to the country for Nigerians to benefit from their expertise.
“We believe that in a system where we work with our embassies and the institutions, we can enforce the repayment for those who insist they will not come back,” he said.
He added that if the scholars who don’t want to return to the country refuse to repay the money expended on their programmes, they will be declared persona non grata.
Echono said: “We will write to the embassies and they will make it available to those countries and they will not be able to get jobs. They will be seen as fugitives of law from their countries.
“We may have to take that hard stand because the numbers are alarming. We just checked about 40 institutions and over 137 absconders and the review is ongoing.
“It is a huge number that we cannot afford and so we will be seeking your support to strengthen some of the existing regulations to ensure that those who benefit from this programme must come back.
We have nothing against people seeking out better opportunities, but please do it independently and without using our support or scholarship.
The currency rate problem, according to the Executive Secretary, may cause TETFUND to halt its international scholarship programme.
Echono claimed that while some taxes are paid to TETFUND in foreign currency at the account held with the Central Bank of Nigeria, the apex bank mandates that TETFUND source foreign exchange on its own when fees are due for scholars studying abroad.
“We operate a system where our foreign exchange is sold on our behalf at an official rate and we apply like anyone else to get it, sometimes it results in additional cost,” he continued.
“As I speak, we are currently consulting with all
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