The 600 omitted scholars from the presidential bailout approved to cushion the effect of their plight occasioned by high exchange rate of Dollar against Naira and the Covid-19 lockdown, have appealed to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) to release the fund to them and save them from untold hardship they have been faced with for some years now.
In a letter signed by the group’s Executive members and addressed to the Fund’s Executive Secretary, Arc. Sunny S. T. Echono, while the Chairman, TETFund Board, H. E., Rt. Hon., Alh. Aminu Bello Masari and Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, were copied, the omitted scholars praised the efforts of the Fund in ensuring that the best services are given to beneficiaries of the FG’s financial support for Nigerian academics.
They however, hinted that some officials working in the Fund are allegedly toeing the wrong path and making things difficult for Nigerian academics. The letter, dated October 7, 2024 and entitled: “Appeal To TETFund Management On Bailout Disbursement Omission of 600 Foreign Scholars”, reads in part: “First of all, we heartily commend the Federal Government of Nigeria through Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for giving us the opportunity to further our academic pursuits in various fields and stages (PhD, Master, Postdoc, and Benchwork). We also applaud TETFund for its several excellent efforts and credible policies, driven by an efficient management team ably headed by Arc. Sunny S. T. Echono (an accomplished Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Arc., FNIA). Since 2022 when you and your team assumed the mantle of leadership in the Commission, your policies are all targeted at achieving the corporate mandate and organizational efficiency of TETFund.
“They are all laudable initiatives that can only happen under a seasoned administrator like you. However, as beautiful and as laudable as those initiatives rolled out by your efficient management team are, it is shocking, sad, and worrisome that some people in the Commission are hell-bent on working against your administration’s corporate success and good achievements. Thus, we are compelled by circumstances to bring to your notice, that almost 600 bonafide TETFund foreign-sponsored scholars were omitted from the recently disbursed bailout, which was graciously approved by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, (GCFR) which was purposely designed to cushion the unexpected financial challenges encountered by the scholars abroad within the period under review. (2017-2023)
“It is obvious and uncontestable that this omission of our names (which affected about 600 foreign scholars) completely contradicts the official directive issued by the President, that the approved bailout should cover all the TETFund foreign- sponsored scholars without exemption or exclusion of anyone for the year under review (2017-2023). Unfortunately, this development was further aggravated with the shocking response by an Assistant Director in the AST&D Department, in a memo dated 15th April 2024 stated that the Fund would no longer listen, or relate with any scholar about the issue of bailout omission through the existing channels that were initially used to pay our colleagues.
“This posture has, directly and indirectly, compelled us to send several “Save Our Souls – SOS” appeals to some selected national stakeholders to keep them abreast of this issue of omission of our names from the beneficiaries of this highly humane gesture of Mr. President, to intercede on our behalf, and such step was neither to ridicule nor disrespect your office or efforts.
Sir, to be assured about the sincerity and genuineness of our appeal, all the omitted scholars (about 600) voluntarily provided their names and essential details to jointly authenticate our claim as uncontroversial, logical, rational, genuine, and sincere. (See Appendix 2, as attached). Therefore, it saddens us to be suddenly tagged as impostors by TETFund in one of the recent online media outlets. ((Pls. see Appendix 3, as attached).
“It is on the strength of the above sad development, coupled with the tough financial hardship that about 600 affected foreign scholars (within the year under review) are currently passing through that prompted us to formally seek your official and timely intervention, as we all know you as a man of outstanding integrity and uncommon passion for peoples’ welfare.
Kindly accept our warm regards, as we anticipate your timely and humane intervention on this matter.”
