TETFUND: Nigerian Scholars Abroad Appeal to President Tinubu Over Unpaid Bailout Funds

Scholars studying abroad under the sponsorship of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) have reached out to President Bola Tinubu, appealing for his intervention regarding unpaid bailout funds designated for their support.

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The scholars, organized under the group known as Omitted Foreign Scholars (OFS), conveyed their plea through a heartfelt letter dated June 6, 2024. In the correspondence, Kamal Odunjo-Saka, Chairman of the Foreign Scholars, lamented the exclusion of 45% of scholars from the disbursement of funds recently approved as a Presidential Bailout for TETFUND foreign scholars spanning the years 2017 to 2023.

In excerpts from the letter, Odunjo-Saka stated, "We sincerely appreciate the generous bailout approved by Mr. President, His Excellence, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as this would alleviate the burden on Scholars. However, our confidence in the fair implementation of the disbursement has been severed."

The bailout was originally intended to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, currency devaluation, and inflation on scholars' living expenses during their academic pursuits abroad. However, the OFS group highlighted discrepancies in the allocation process, claiming that many scholars were unjustly omitted without sufficient justification.

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"Currently, about 45 percent of the TETFund sponsored foreign scholars were omitted in the disbursement of the presidential-approved bailout by TETFund, subjecting scholars to harsh conditions amidst the current economic realities," the letter continued.

Efforts by the scholars to engage TETFUND on the matter reportedly yielded little progress, with the Fund citing program status as grounds for disqualification without satisfactory explanation.