Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has raised the alarm over recent surge in the activities of fraudsters impersonating its activities.
Its acting director of public affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi, in a press statement yesterday, said it was witnessing myriads of fraudulent attempts and malicious allegations by some unscrupulous individuals and groups.
He said, “The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has in recent times witnessed a surge in the activities of fraudulent individuals and groups who devise all sorts of means to defraud stakeholders and unsuspecting members of the public in the name of the Fund.”
According to him, also prevalent is the attempt by certain individuals and groups to malign the leadership of the Fund and disrupt its activities over management’s determination not to succumb to frivolous requests which are grossly in violation of the agency’s mandate.
“Some of the antics employed by these individual and groups include: allegation of contract fraud and procurement racketeering.
“What could be considered as the first attempt or springboard aimed at maligning the current leadership of the Fund came to light via a publication by Sahara Reporters dated 20th July 2022 titled ‘Disquiet in Nigeria Education Agency, TETFund over Contracts Fraud, Procurement Racketeering, Others under New Head, Sonny Echono,’” he said.
Oniyangi said the spurious and unfounded allegations which came up barely four months after the assumption of office of the executive secretary were addressed by the Fund in a press release titled” ‘Corruption Fights Back as Echono Implements Sweeping Reforms’, issued on July 22, 2022.
“Suffice to say that the allegations were not only proved to be lacking in merit, but discovered to have been sponsored by self-seeking individuals/groups who felt aggrieved at the sweeping reforms introduced to eliminate corruption and promote accountability at the Fund.
“Despite addressing Sahara Reporters’ unfounded publication, certain individuals/groups who have sought all forms of unholy sponsorship, support and patronage from the Fund, but denied, have continued to come up under different guises, alleging corruption at the Fund, ‘copying and pasting’ same spurious information contained in Sahara Reporters’ publication,” it said.
