President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the removal of executive secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa.
Baffa, a former aide to Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, was appointed the head of TETFund alongside 14 other heads of parastatals under the federal ministry of education on August 2, 2016.
President Buhari has subsequently reappointed Prof Suleiman Bogoro to replace the outgoing secretary of the fund. Bogoro was the head of TETFund between 2014 to 2016.
Although no official reason was given for Baffa’s removal, Prof. Bogoro’s reappointment is with immediate effect.
But it was alleged that Baffa’s removal was not unconnected with his running battle with minister of education, Adamu Adamu.
It was also reported that Dr. Baffa, a close ally of Adamu Adamu, disregarded the minister’s advice in the running of the fund.
The report noted that Baffa had been having issues with the minister as regards the 2019 interventions for public institutions.
Also there was an allegation that the former secretary was immersed in Kano politics, leading to speculations that he might be eyeing the governorship seat.
There was wild jubilation at the headquarters of the agency this morning in Abuja when Baffa’s sack was made public.
The reinstated Prof. Bogoro was the executive secretary of TETFund under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, but was sacked by President Buhari in 2016.
Prof. Bogoro was alleged to have misappropriated N200 billion released to the agency for special intervention projects to beneficiary institutions to fund the re-election of Dr. Jonathan in 2015.
A source in the TETFund office who confirmed the story of Dr Baffa’s sack told Blueprint that the reinstated TETFund boss, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, was recalled to the agency to complete his aborted tenure.
Note it was alleged that Bogoro used the agency’s fund in financing the presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 general elections, but was later found to be innocent of the allegations.
The source stated that the N200bn allegedly misappropriated under Bogoro was never released to the agency in the first place.
“The other man has been reinstated to his position. There was an allegation about N200 bn disappearing from TETFund account. There was allegation at that time that it was used for electioneering. It was discovered that the money was never released at all. It never really got to TETFund. So it was like TETFund was the victim, to say that someone misappropriated money that was never released at all.
“We had that impression until we now saw the records after the auditing. TETFund is now requesting the money to be released to them. The man was confirmed innocent of all the charges against him and when they finally submitted the report, there was a tendency to just let it be, but when it got to the attention of Mr. President he demanded for his reinstatement immediately.”
However, Malam Adamu, in a statement by the ministry’s deputy director (Press), Ben. Bem, explained that Prof. Bogoro has been reinstated under the same terms and conditions as it were in his previous appointment and as stipulated in the TETFund’s staff conditions of service.
