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Alleged N208 TETFUND fraud: Nigerian students on war path with varsity administrators

.. threaten to petition EFCC 
From Priscilla Ofunre, Ado-Ekiti
Nigerian university​ students, under the auspices of National Association of Universities’ Students (NAUS), have threatened to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate alleged plundering of over N208 billion Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) released to the agency by the federal government.
The association said the action became expedient to rescue the universities from infrastructural deficit caused by high level of corruption in the utilisation of TETFUND revenues and mismanagement of funds in the higher institutions by managements.
NAUS also lashed out some amorphous bodies masquerading as​ Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), criticising it over its consistent call for the investigation of TETFUND’s Executive Secretary, Prof​ Suleiman Bogoro over his alleged complicity in the high level corruption.

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Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday,​ NAUS’ National Vice President, Comrade Aruson David Aridiogo, said the body will staged a protest at the EFCC office in Abuja to submit a petition on the expediency of the investigation anytime from now.
Aridiogo added that the students, who are at the receiving end of poor infrastructures in the public universities across the nation won’t fold their arms and allow financial sleaze of this magnitude to be swept under the carpet.
The NAUS leader said it sounded unfathomable that those branding​ themselves as CSOs could be protecting those that were​ alleged of corruption, saying this action has portrayed the coalition asking EFCC not to investigate Prof Bogoro as unscrupulous elements, who only wanted money for survival at the expense of the Nigerian students.
“It is interesting to read that the CSOs who have been silent on issues of national interest​ for a​ long time could suddenly wake up from their slumber​ to rubbish a press statement by NAUS demanding for accountability and transparency in terms of how funds are being spent by the Tertiary Education Trust (TETFUND).
“It must be stated without fear of being contradicted that the demand is not ill-conceived, neither was it sponsored by any person or group of persons to tarnish the image of the TETFUND boss
“Our demand is strictly based on the principle of accountability by public office holder as we feel that it is very important for the general public to be communicated as to how TETFUND projects are being executed in our Universities and the extent of execution on our campuses.
“It is embarrassing that rather than publishing the financial transactions in TETFUND in line with our demands, they disgracefully​ went ahead to make unsubstantiated statements aimed at discrediting our association and bring us to disrepute​ while also​ reducing our demands as being​ sponsored by politicians.

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“We make bold to assert that Tijani Usman who also claimed to be the Coordinator of Ex-NANS Presidents was only embarking on a dubious act, as there was no association bearing such strange​ nomenclature. This is a pointer to the fact that he was only trying to fruitlessly defend the TETFUND Chief executive”.
Aridiogo reiterated​ his​ earlier position that probe of the agency was inevitable and that any trick being deployed to sabotage​ ​NAUS’ demands shall be​ resisted.

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