The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sony Echono has stated that a significant number of students sponsored abroad by the fund have chosen not to return to the country after completing their programs.
Echono revealed this information while testifying before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc committee, which is investigating the alleged mismanagement of N2.3tn tertiary education tax by TETFund.
Addressing the issue of recipients remaining abroad
He expressed concern about the high number of students who absconded, stating that the figure stood at over 137 based on a preliminary assessment of 40 institutions.
- 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,” he stated.
Echono emphasized the need to address this issue by strengthening existing regulations and ensuring that beneficiaries of the scholarship program fulfil their obligation to return.
He clarified that while seeking better opportunities abroad is not discouraged, it should not be done using the scholarship or sponsorship provided by TETFund.
He said:
- “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 program must come back.
- “We are not against people looking for greener pastures but do so on your own, not through our scholarship or our sponsorship.
- “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.
Nairametrics reports that the situation has become a major crisis, as some scholars enjoy the benefits of the scholarship, obtain higher degrees, and then refuse to come back to Nigeria.
Echono also mentioned the hardships faced by the guarantors, who are held responsible for the expenses incurred on behalf of the absconding scholars.
Developing stringent methods for beneficiaries
TETFund is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to develop stringent and effective measures to deal with those who fail to return, to ensure that Nigerians can benefit from their expertise.
In a recent development, as a result of the exchange rate crisis, TETFund is considering the suspension of foreign scholarships.
This should be a simple problem to solve. If students who receive scholarships want to remain in the country they are studying in, they should be allowed to do so. Their scholarship grants can be converted into student loans, which they can repay from overseas. However, if they choose to return to Nigeria, they should honor the scholarship grant by coming back within 6 months of graduating and reside in Nigeria for at least 5 years.
Now, let’s see if this solution can begin to address the mismanagement of TETFUND, or if the administrators are trying to shift the blame onto students studying abroad while they themselves have been misusing the funds.
How is this anything new?
Nigerians for GENERATIONS have not been repaying educational loans or any loans at all. That’s why the old student loan programs (first, in the 1970s and thereafter in the 1980s under IBB) went bankrupt and failed. You can add the recent Anchors’ Borrowers Program or in fact any agricultural or SMSE loan profound (including programs like NERFUND and People’s Bank).
In fact, virtual generations of Nigerians (including many of the parents of the present generation of Americans of Nigerian descent) are defaulters of their state and/or federal government scholarship programs that usually obligated them to return to Nigeria upon completion of their studies, not to mention those who emigrated under the Technical Skills Development Program.
Ultimately, Nigeria’s situation is a culmination of the various actions of ALL Nigerians (by commission or omission), not just the government.
Improving Nigeria’s bankruptcy laws and empowering creditors to pursue assets from capable but unwilling debtors will drive change. Strengthening creditor protections and enabling streamlined court enforcement discourage voluntary defaults.
International cooperation through reciprocal tax and financial information sharing of fellow citizens, like what Australia, UK, US, and many other nations regularly do with each other on their citizens who have emigrated into another nation, provides the ability to garnish wages and pursue assets of emigrated citizens, which dramatically aids cross-border enforcement.
Solutions exist, and we must be open-minded, exploring successful approaches from other countries.