News

Why We Discontinued Foreign Scholarship Programme For Lecturers —TETFUND

Published

11 months ago

June 29, 2025

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has explained why the agency suspended its foreign scholarship programme for lecturers in public tertiary institutions.

Echono said the scholarship programme for lecturers was discontinued because it had become financially unsustainable, citing high foreign exchange rates and the growing number of beneficiaries who failed to return to Nigeria after completing their studies abroad.

Speaking in an interview with TheCable, he revealed that in some cases, TETFund spent nearly N100 million on a single scholar, especially when converted from currencies like pounds and dollars.

“It’s a cost-benefit analysis. We are faced with two challenges. The first is the exchange rate differential.

“We have a situation where, because of the sharp drop in the value of the local currency, we have to provide a lot of naira cover to train a single scholar,” he said.

“In some institutions, we are getting close to 100 million for one person when you convert from pounds to naira. So, cost was a major factor, because we pay in dollars, pounds, euros, and other foreign currencies.

“The second part is that many of the beneficiaries were not being kind to the country.

“They make us sponsor them, and when they finish their programmes, they refuse to come back.

“Meanwhile, the school will be waiting for them here, expecting that they will return to impart the students.”

Describing the situation as a “double tragedy,” Echono noted that while lecturers enjoyed full sponsorship abroad, their institutions in Nigeria continued paying them, expecting them to return.

“So, it’s a double tragedy for the institution that released them. And while they are on scholarships, they are still receiving salaries from their institutions back home.

“We are not stopping you from going abroad to look for greener pastures, but not under false pretences. Not by defrauding the government, as it were.

“And it was happening in huge numbers. We tried to look at ways of trying to collaborating with the training institutions to curtail this. But they found various ways of going underground for a while, or changing from one country to the other.

“So, we felt that it was no longer sustainable — the high costs and rate of abscondment,” he said.

However, Echono clarified that the suspension is not absolute. He said waivers are still granted in exceptional cases where the course of study is not available in any Nigerian university.

He continued, “The bridge we’ve created is that we are now allowing for some exceptions — in very exceptional cases — where the courses of study are not available locally. So, we give exemptions. It’s not an absolute suspension.

“We have granted waivers. For example, the aviation university — we just gave them a waiver less than two weeks ago because some of the specific courses are new and not available in the country.

“So, for those, based on their merits, relevance to the national economy, and the fact that they are desirable for the institution, we grant those waivers.”

Echono added that the Fund decided to redirect resources to support local training of academic staff, which he described as more cost-effective and impactful.

“The majority of our scholars used to be from here. We have a local component, and we have the foreign component. So the local component has now received a boost because we have not reduced our funding for academic staff training; instead, we have increased it,” he said.

“We are training more people now. And the numbers will increase further because for each person you send abroad, you can train between eight to ten locally for the same amount.”

TETFund suspended the foreign scholarship programme in November 2024.

News

Migration Agency Warns Migrants Against Irregular Travel Routes

Published

19 minutes ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with Giving is Healing Foundation, has sensitised residents of Ayobo in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on the dangers of irregular migration and the need to embrace legal travel procedures.

Speaking during a sensitisation programme held at Megida Ifelodu Community Development Association in Ayobo, the founder of Giving is Healing Foundation, Mr. Gbolahan Ayediran, warned intending migrants against using illegal travel routes.

Ayediran said many Nigerians desire to migrate abroad in search of better opportunities but often ignore proper procedures, thereby exposing themselves to several dangers.

“Lots of people want to migrate and most of them do it in the wrong direction. The reason for the programme is for us to advise people on how they can migrate in the right way. As much as migration is their right, they should do it correctly,” he said.

He advised intending travellers to obtain the necessary travel documents before embarking on any journey, noting that such documents include international passports, visas, flight tickets and yellow cards, depending on the destination country.

According to him, migrants should also gather adequate information about their destination countries to enable them make informed decisions before travelling.

Ayediran further highlighted some of the dangers associated with irregular migration, including abuse, exploitation, discrimination and forced labour.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Megida Ifelodu Community Development Association, Elder Mathews Amusan, commended the organisers for enlightening members of the community on safe migration practices.

He urged residents planning to travel abroad to always follow legal migration procedures to avoid falling victim to human trafficking and other migration-related challenges.

One of the participants, Mr. Kolawole Adenoko, said the programme enlightened him on the dangers of irregular migration and the importance of travelling through the proper channels.

He added that he would also educate his relatives and friends on the risks associated with illegal migration.

News

Shatta Wale Bailed Burna Boy From Ghana Prison After Arrest For Smoking Weed – Captan

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

Ghanian singer, Captan, has claimed that his former record label boss, Shatta Wale, once bailed Nigerian singer Burna Boy out of prison in Ghana after he was allegedly arrested for smoking weed.

Speaking in a recent podcast interview, Captan claimed that Shatta Wale sent him and others to free Burna Boy from police custody.

He also claimed that Shatta Wale and his group once accommodated Burna Boy when he was being hunted by some dangerous men.

Captan said, “I once bailed Burna Boy out of prison in Ghana when he was arrested for smoking weed. Shatta Wale sent me and some guys to go and free him from police custody.

“There was a time we also accommodated him when some people were after his life. We helped him settle the case.”

He added that he and Burna Boy are no longer in good terms after the Nigerian artist’s fallout with his mentor, Shatta Wale.

He, however, said he and Shatta Wale are open to reconciling with Burna Boy if he asks for it.

Watch the video here

News

Children’s Day: Chaos At Ogbe Stadium As Dozens Faint

Published

19 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

Chaos erupted on Wednesday during the Children’s Day celebration as dozens of students reportedly collapsed following a stampede triggered by the use of pepper spray.

The event,
organised by the Edo State Ministry of Education at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium was disrupted after some male students of Ihogbe College allegedly made uncompromising advances towards female students at the venue.
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‎ A parent who identified himself as Oboh Emmanuel said, “the behaviour of those uncultured students attracted the attention of bouncers stationed at the stadium as they rebuked the male students.”
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‎Oboh said the affected students later regrouped and attacked the bouncers, leading to a confrontation within the crowded arena.

READ ALSO:Children’s Day: Edo Commits To Child Protection
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It was gathered that in the ensuing confusion, the bouncers were reported to have deployed pepper spray in an area occupied by a large number of students.
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‎Several students, particularly female students, reportedly fainted after inhaling the substance, while others sustained injuries after being stepped on during the ensuing melee.
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‎The panic was said to have spread across the stadium as students, teachers and parents scampered for safety.
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‎Many of the affected students were reportedly rushed to the Edo Specialist Hospital for medical attention.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Dr Patrick Ebojele, said the security personnel that fired the tear gas had been detained.

He said all the students, except two, that were rushed to the hospital have been discharged.

Ebojele stated that doctors wanted to observe the students till tomorrow before allowing them to go home.

“The two students are not seriously injured. Doctors want to observe them overnight. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education is still at the hospital. The man who used pepper spray has been detained.

“The incident did not happen the way it is being exaggerated. All modalities were put in place to ensure the children enjoyed their day.”
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