The executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, says over 137 scholars sponsored abroad by the fund have absconded.
Echono spoke on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the alleged “ab¥se” of N2.3 trillion tertiary education tax by TETFund.
The executive secretary said the scholars who were sponsored by TETFund for “higher education” abroad refused to return to the country after completing their programmes.
“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 has 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,” he said.
Echono said TETFund is working with stakeholders for “stringent and effective measures” to be taken against those 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. [continue on next slide]
