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The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has suspended the processing of requests for additional financial support from Nigerian scholars studying abroad, citing a surge in what it described as “mendacious” claims for extended funding.
In a circular dated August 25, 2025, and signed by the Fund’s Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny S.T. Echono, addressed to Vice Chancellors, Rectors, and Provosts of beneficiary institutions, TETFUND expressed concern over the increasing number of requests for extra funding from scholars already sponsored under its TETFUND Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) Intervention.
According to the statement, many of the requests were linked to tuition fee variations, extended study durations, and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, including laboratory fees. The Fund, however, maintained that several of these claims appeared questionable, coming even from scholars who were expected to have completed their studies.
“The Fund has reasons to believe that most of these requests (extension of studies, reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, additional tuition and laboratory fees) by some of these scholars are mendacious. Consequently, the Fund has suspended the processing of such requests,” the circular read.
TETFUND reiterated that once funds are approved and released, scholars are not permitted to request variations, upgrades, or extensions of their programmes. It further directed that scholars must submit annual progress reports through their home institutions and study supervisors, stressing that all requests should be routed via their home institutions, not directly to the Fund.
In light of these developments, university authorities have been instructed to ensure that only genuine cases are screened and forwarded in line with the stipulated guidelines.
The Fund’s intervention scheme, created to boost the capacity of Nigerian academics through international exposure and training, has in recent years faced challenges relating to accountability, delayed remittances, and rising costs of foreign education.
Education analysts suggest that the clampdown may be part of broader efforts by TETFUND to curb misuse of public resources while ensuring that beneficiaries stay committed to the terms of their sponsorship. However, the move is likely to stir debate among scholars, many of whom have long decried the impact of fluctuating exchange rates and tuition hikes on their studies abroad.
