Education
FX Crisis: TETFund Mulls Suspension of Foreign Scholarships
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has revealed that consultations are ongoing to suspend foreign scholarships as a result of the current FX crisis in the country.
The Naira has performed badly at the foreign exchange (forex) market lately, particularly after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) floated the local currency, allowing market forces to determine its value.
Since this move last month, some students studying abroad have found it difficult to access FX because of its high rate.
The Executive Secretary of the fund, Mr Sonny Echono, at a public hearing on alleged missing N2.3 trillion in TETFund between 2011 to date, organised by an Ad hoc Committee of the House of Representatives, said the tax accruable to the fund is generated by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the fund’s account is domiciled in the CBN.
Mr Echono said that some of the tax comes in foreign currencies to CBN, but when it is time to pay fees for scholars abroad, the apex bank insists TETFund source forex from other channels, making the fund lose value due to the disparity of the rates.
According to him, “We operate a system where our forex is being sold on our behalf at the official rate, and we apply like anybody else to get it, sometimes it leads to additional cost.”
He urged the committee to intervene and compel CBN to allow TETFund access to its forex to pay fees as and when due.
“Currently, as I speak, we are in consultations with all our stakeholders to suspend, for a year or two, foreign training.
“This is because of the recent exchange rate adjustments; we are unable to continue based on our disbursement guideline; the money we allocated in naira cannot cover the dollar requirement for training.
“Those who are currently there, we now need more naira to pay for the dollar that is required for their annual fees,” he said.
Mr Echono said that the fund had l identified courses where Nigerian universities have the competence and the right quality of faculty to run.
He said that the fund had earlier decided that only limited curses “where we do not have the capacity in our institutions will qualify for foreign sponsorship.”
The executive secretary announced that most training will now be done locally through experienced, first-generation universities as well in collaboration with other specialised universities here in Nigeria.
This, he said, will allow the fund to retain revenue to cope with the volatile exchange rate, which is now at the mercy of market forces.
Mr Echono raised worries that no fewer than 137 sponsored scholars have absconded from 40 institutions abroad.
He said that some scholars who are sent for foreign training to acquire higher qualifications have refused to return to Nigeria to serve.
He said that TETFund was working with other stakeholders on stringent measures to ensure this sharp practice is ended. One of which is the signing of a bond agreement.
“The scholar undertakes 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.
“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.
“If they don’t, we will declare them persona non grata. We will write to the embassies, and they will make it available to those countries, and they will not be able to get jobs; they will be seen as fugitives of law from their countries,” he said.
Mr Echono called for the review of existing regulations to ensure that those who benefit from the TETFund programme must come back.
According to him, we are not against people looking for greener pastures but do so on your own, not our scholarship or through our sponsorship.
On the alleged missing N2.3 trillion, Mr Echono said that the revenue accrued to the fund within the period stood at N2.47 trillion.
He said that between 2011 to date, a total of N371.3 billion was borrowed by the Federal Government, and only N48 billion had been repaid.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has granted another extension for its Student Loan Application Portal to accommodate institutions that requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session.
According to the statement signed by NELFUND’s Director of Strategic Communications, Ms Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, on Thursday, the extension applies only to institutions that submitted formal requests, allowing eligible students extra time to complete their applications.
“The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has approved an extension of its Student Loan Application Portal for institutions that have formally requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session,” the statement read.
Business Post reports that at the beginning of March, NELFUND announced an extension to the deadline by a week for its student loan application portal following a notable rise in nationwide interest driven by ongoing awareness campaigns.
Speaking on the development, NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, reiterated the Fund’s commitment to ensuring that eligible students at participating institutions can access the student loan programme.
“NELFUND remains committed to ensuring that eligible students across participating institutions have the opportunity to access the student loan programme,” he said.
The Fund urges students in affected institutions to take advantage of the extension and submit their applications through the official portal.
It also emphasised its dedication to transparency, accountability, and providing sustainable financing solutions to remove financial barriers to higher education in Nigeria.
Established to administer the Nigeria Student Loan Scheme, NELFUND was enacted into law by President Bola Tinubu in April 2024.
The initiative provides interest-free loans to students in public tertiary institutions to cover tuition and living expenses.
Beneficiaries are required to repay the loans after completing their education and securing employment, aiming to increase access to higher education for students from low-income backgrounds.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has inaugurated a Curriculum Review Committee aimed at strengthening taxation education in Nigerian academic institutions and improving the country’s tax administration system.
According to a statement, the committee was inaugurated on February 24, at the NRS Academy in Durumi as part of the agency’s broader efforts to modernise tax education and align academic training with the evolving demands of contemporary tax administration.
Speaking during the inauguration, the Director of the NRS Academy, Mr Adeolu Akinyemi, said the review exercise would involve collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) to develop a more structured and relevant curriculum for the academy.
He emphasised that the initiative seeks to ensure that taxation programmes taught in Nigerian institutions reflect current developments in tax policy and practice, while also equipping students with the practical knowledge required in today’s tax administration environment.
The committee has been tasked with examining existing taxation curricula across Nigerian institutions and proposing updates that incorporate modern tax policies, recent legislative changes, and emerging areas such as digital taxation and global tax practices.
Officials say the review is also designed to close the gap between theoretical classroom instruction and the practical realities of tax administration.
By strengthening the link between academic learning and professional practice, the revised curriculum is expected to better prepare graduates for careers in the tax sector.
The effort is further expected to enhance tax awareness among citizens, encourage voluntary tax compliance, and support the development of skilled tax professionals who can contribute to national revenue generation and economic growth.
The committee is chaired by Mrs Aisha Hamman Mahmoud, Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman of the NRS on Research and Statistics. Its membership includes representatives from the service as well as academic experts in taxation and fiscal policy, alongside professionals with experience in tax administration, policy formulation, and tax education.
The committee will work with relevant educational regulatory agencies and professional bodies to ensure that the proposed curriculum aligns with national academic standards while addressing the practical needs of Nigeria’s tax system.
The NRS stated that the initiative forms part of its ongoing commitment to expanding tax knowledge, strengthening professional capacity, and promoting responsible tax practices across the country.
The curriculum review exercise is expected to be completed within 60 days, after which the Service plans to provide further updates on the implementation of the revised programme.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The first batch of Nigerian undergraduates to enjoy fully paid scholarships for studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses across the continent has been chosen by Airtel Africa Foundation.
Business Post gathered that 70 students from universities across Nigeria were selected from thousands of applicants through an independently managed process, which took nearly six months.
It was learned that most of the undergraduates were from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), the University of Ilorin, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU Zaria), and the University of Nigeria (UNN).
The scholarship covers tuition, laptop computers, living expenses, and essential learning resources, a statement from Airtel Africa Foundation disclosed.
The chairman of the foundation, Mr Segun Ogunsanya, speaking at the presentation of the scholarships to the beneficiaries at the Lagos headquarters of Airtel Nigeria, emphasised the need for initiatives such as the Airtel Africa Foundation’s undergraduate tech scholarship for the future of the continent.
“True legacy is not measured by the awards we win or the volume of SIM cards we sell; it is measured by the lives we save, the people we feed, and the students we support when the line between success and failure is at its thinnest.
“At the Airtel Africa Foundation, we believe that lifting people out of poverty is the ultimate benchmark of a great company. Today, we are writing that legacy by tilting the balance in favour of the brilliant but underserved, ensuring that the fourth industrial revolution, driven by AI and Data Science, is built by African talent for the African continent,” he stated.
Mr Ogunsanya further revealed that this fellowship, executed through Airtel Nigeria, is designed to bridge the gap where funding, skills, and opportunity often fail to meet.
In addition to the N500,000 yearly budget for the fellows’ four-year or five-year courses, each fellow would be integrated into a structured support system for academic guidance and career mentorship, intended to ultimately transition students from the classroom to the global tech workforce.
Addressing the students, the chief executive of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Dinesh Balsingh, stressed that youth development is a strategic imperative for Airtel.
“At Airtel Nigeria, we view youth development as essential nation-building. When young people succeed, innovation accelerates, and social stability improves.
“By connecting these brilliant scholars to knowledge, skills, and confidence, we are fulfilling our core mission to connect people to opportunity. To our recipients: you earned your place here through merit and discipline. You are now ambassadors of excellence, and we expect your leadership to be defined by your conduct as you help shape a more inclusive digital future for Nigeria,” the Airtel Nigeria chief said.
The Nigerian cohort joins a prestigious network of Airtel Africa Foundation fellows currently studying in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and India.
The initiative underscores a broader commitment to technology education, youth development, and Nigeria’s digital economy.
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