Nigeria’s Federal University Oye-Ekiti Suspends Lecturer After Accusing TETFund Workers Of N10Million PhD Scholarship Fraud

Kamal A. Odunjo-Saka, a lecturer at Federal University Oye-Ekiti, (FUOYE) in Ekiti State has accused the school management of suspending him after exposing three Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) staff members for allegedly embezzling the sum of ₦10 million meant for his foreign sponsorship.

Odunjo-Saka, a lecturer in the university’s Department of Psychology and a PhD foreign scholar, described his suspension by the university as “absurd, baseless, illogical, largely illegal, indefensible, parochial and purely unprofessional”.

The lecturer said he was offered a PhD Programme in a Cyprus university for which he secured TETFund scholarship; however, he added that a large chunk of the funds was not released to him.

According to him, he blew the whistle on three staff members of TETFund who had allegedly been playing hide-and-seek with him over the funds for about two years, after it seemed he might lose the opportunity.

He alleged that the development angered the university authorities and a cycle of witch-hunt of the lecturer cum student began, followed by his suspension.

FUOYE management sent him three queries on the same day and later suspended him from the university with immediate effect. Odunjo-Saka was subsequently investigated.

He said, “My PhD. Sponsorship Award Grant was approved on 11/11/2020. My study was scheduled to start in January 2021.

“But, due to two reasons, I could not leave Nigeria until October 2021. The first reason was TETFund’s delay in the payment of the initial tuition deposit, which is a prerequisite by my university in Cyprus for issuing the acceptance letter that would allow me to travel down to Cyprus.

“Though, after several correspondences and explanations, the initial tuition deposit of a total sum of €3,622.50 was paid, out of €8,872.50 approved for my tuition in the award letter, with a promise that the remaining tuition balance of €5,250 would be offset when I get to Cyprus.

“The second reason was COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a travel ban; it wasn’t until it was lifted before I could travel in October 2021.

“Unfortunately, during course registration of my second semester in May 2022, it was realised that the money left in my school account was not enough to register the number of required courses for that semester.

“Then, on reaching back to TETFund for the payment of the outstanding tuition, it was a rude shock to hear from one Mr. Gbenga, who is a TETFund staff, that the money had been paid to my university account since March 2021. But, when I asked them for the payment invoice for the said amount so that I could use it to claim the payment from the university account office, in order to credit my account accordingly, there came excuses.

“It was another rude shock as that the said Mr. Gbenga quickly referred me to another staff member, one Mrs. Layo, who claimed to be in charge of such records. After several conversations without useful result, Mrs. Layo further referred me to another staff member, one Mr. Auwal, who they claimed was the boss in the account unit.

“With all these abracadabra and series of altercations between us, the Mr. Genga finally opened up in a very ridiculous way (because they could not provide the payment invoice for their fake claim) that they just discovered that the money they previously claimed to have paid eventually bounced back from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and they would need to reprocess the payment.”

“This ridiculous excuse came up in October, which was after six months of contacting them for the payment,” Odunjo-Saka explained.

The unfortunate turn of events brought his academic pursuits to a grinding halt, as the institution subsequently closed his student portal, effectively ending his studies.

He said, “While all these were going on, my student portal was closed by the university; and two warning letters were sent to me by my university in Cyprus for possible deportation, due to the continued accumulation of outstanding tuition.

“I was compelled to borrow money to save my studentship after two semesters of zero academic records, due to TETFund’s failure to offset the outstanding tuition.

“In December 2022, I came back to Nigeria to formally inform my university back home of my ugly experience with TETFund. On hearing my story, the university management wrote two different letters on my case, one to my university in Cyprus, asking it not to terminate my studentship, that the process for offsetting the outstanding tuition was ongoing.

“The second letter was sent to TETFund to fast-track the payment procedure, as further delay might hinder my study.

“Sadly, I am now in the seventh semester of the PhD Programme; but as I speak, no single kobo has been paid out of the remaining outstanding tuition of the total sum of €5,250, which is an equivalent of over N10 million at current exchange rate.

“More painful is the fact that I had quietly started my self-sponsorship and successfully completed the course work part of a PhD programme I started in 2019 at my alma mater (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) with excellent performance in the final results of my course work, before I was granted the TETFund sponsorship on merit.”

“Surprisingly, after the issue appeared in the media, the TETFund authority felt embarrassed; and the next thing was this directive from TETFund that FUOYE management ought to issue me query for having audacity to expose the age-long unchallenged financial fraud in the commission to the public. It was like a joke when, suddenly, FUOYE management sent me three clueless queries on the same day,” he said.

The lecturer, therefore, called on all “well-meaning Nigerians, particularly the respected authorities in the nation's university space, to come to my aid against the ongoing wicked witch-hunt by the management of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE)”.

The University in the query letter signed by its Registrar, Mufutau A. Ibrahim and obtained by SaharaReporters, noted that the school received a defamatory publication the lecturer published against three TETFund staff members, accusing them of embezzling the sum of N10 million.

The school requested the lecturer to explain in writing why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for flouting the procedure of inquiry and making false allegations.

It reads in part, "The University Management has received with dismay a report from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) of a defamatory publication you published against three (3) TETFund staff accusing them of embezzling the sum of Ten Million Naira (₦10,000,000.00) meant for your sponsorship.

"Management noted that you would have contacted the TETFund Unit of the University for clarifications regarding TETFund grant disbursement before the defamatory publication against the TETFund Staff.

"You are therefore requested to explain in writing why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for flouting the procedure of inquiry and for making false allegation through your publication to the public thereby painting the officials of TETFund in bad light through this medium and also bringing the image of the University into disrepute.

"Your response should reach the Office of the Registrar within forty-eight (48) hours of receipt of this memo, and in any case not later than 4:00pm on Tuesday, 6th August, 2024.”

"This is for your information and strict compliance," it added.

Odunjo-Saka disclosed that he responded to the queries but that the three TETFund staff members had not been able to proof that his funds had been credited to his account with the Cyprus university, while the school remained adamant that his tuition had not been paid.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wole Balogun, Special Adviser on Media Matters to FUOYE Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, told SaharaReporters that Odunjo-Saka's suspension was due to his alleged misconduct and breach of University regulations, rather than his allegations against TETFund.

He said, "Mr. Saka-Odunjo Adewole's suspension is due to his misconduct and breach of University regulations, rather than his allegations against TETFund. While he accused TETFund of a purported ₦10 million fraud, it must be emphasised that these allegations are not directed at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).

"Furthermore, investigations conducted by the University reveal that the claims are baseless, unsubstantiated, and entirely unfounded. 

"Mr. Odunjo had earlier informed the University of an alleged non-payment of a portion of his tuition fees by TETFund. The University advised him to allow the matter to be appropriately addressed through institutional channels. However, contrary to this advice, Mr. Odunjo published damaging allegations against TETFund in newspapers, prompting a formal complaint from TETFund to the University. 

"Despite being cautioned by the University to desist from such actions, Mr. Odunjo persisted in publicising his unfounded claims. This resulted in the issuance of queries by the University, which he responded to in a manner deemed disrespectful and lacking decorum. His replies appeared to challenge the authority of the University rather than addressing the issues raised in a professional and constructive manner. 

"In light of these actions, the University, in accordance with its regulations, suspended Mr. Odunjo for his misconduct and failure to adhere to the institution’s rules. It is crucial to note that the suspension is unrelated to his allegations against TETFund, which have been thoroughly investigated and found to lack merit. 

"Regarding the claims of fraud, the University has engaged TETFund on the matter, and findings indicate no evidence to support such allegations. No official of TETFund has the authority or mechanism to divert funds intended for beneficiaries.”

"The assertion that Mr. Odunjo’s suspension was a consequence of exposing alleged fraud is both inaccurate and misleading,” Balogun said.

“We urge him to act honourably by refraining from making unsubstantiated claims and by adhering to the rules and regulations of the University. Constructive engagement and mutual respect are fundamental to maintaining the reputation and integrity of the institution."