The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced the suspension of its foreign scholarship programme for lecturers in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions, citing rising financial costs and an increasing trend of beneficiaries refusing to return after their studies.
Speaking in an interview, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, explained that the decision was driven by two major concerns: the harsh impact of exchange rate fluctuations and the high rate of abscondment among scholars. According to him, in some instances, the agency had to spend nearly ₦100 million to sponsor a single academic abroad, especially when tuition and living expenses were converted from foreign currencies like the British pound or US dollar.
Echono described the situation as unsustainable, noting that while lecturers enjoyed full sponsorship abroad, their home institutions in Nigeria continued to pay their salaries under the assumption they would return to their duties. He said this amounted to a “double tragedy” as it left local institutions short-staffed and wasted valuable public funds.
He further criticised some of the scholars for abusing the opportunity by failing to honour their agreements to return home after completing their studies. “We are not stopping anyone from seeking better opportunities, but it should not be done under false pretences or by defrauding the government,” he said.
The TETFund boss also revealed that efforts to work with foreign training institutions to track and curb abscondment were largely unsuccessful, as many beneficiaries found ways to remain overseas by relocating or avoiding communication. As a result, he said the Fund had no choice but to suspend the programme in November 2024.
However, Echono clarified that the suspension is not absolute. He said TETFund still grants waivers in exceptional cases where the course of study is not offered in any Nigerian university. He cited a recent example involving the Nigerian Aviation University, where a waiver was granted due to the unavailability of specific courses within the country.
Echono also explained that the agency has redirected its focus and funding to support local training for academic staff, which he described as more cost-effective and impactful. According to him, for the cost of sending one lecturer abroad, TETFund can now train between eight to ten lecturers locally. He stressed that the Fund had not reduced its commitment to capacity development but had instead scaled up local interventions to accommodate more beneficiaries.
He reaffirmed TETFund’s dedication to improving Nigeria’s education system and noted that the new strategy would better serve the country’s academic institutions and national interest.