News
85% of Nigerian foreign scholarship students don’t return, says Alausa
The Minister of Education, Mr. Tunji Alausa, has lamented that 85 per cent of Nigerian students sent abroad on government scholarships never returned to contribute to national development.
This came as he announced that tertiary institutions with fewer than 2,000 students will no longer be eligible for funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
Speaking on Friday at a one-day engagement with heads of institutions, bursars, and procurement directors in Lagos, Alausa said the Federal Government was repositioning the funding framework to ensure public resources are used efficiently.
On foreign scholarships, Alausa revealed a shift in policy, explaining that more funds would now be invested in building local capacity.
He continued, “Our evidence-based analysis showed that 85 per cent of Nigerian students sent abroad on government scholarships never returned to contribute to national development.
“Many of the programmes they studied could have been handled effectively within our own institutions.”
To address this, he said 28 Centres of Excellence have been established across public and private institutions to offer postgraduate programmes, enhance research and create jobs.
“We are re-evaluating how institutions benefit from TETFund. We can no longer incentivise poor performance or underutilisation,” the minister said.
He noted the inefficiency of allocating equal resources to underpopulated schools as those with significantly higher student numbers.
He stated, “Several polytechnics established as far back as 2019 have only between 350 to 550 students enrolled yet receive the same level of funding as institutions with over 18,000 students.
“This is inefficient and unsustainable. Therefore, we have set a new benchmark: any institution that, after five years of operation, still has fewer than 2,000 students may be deemed ineligible for TETFund support until they scale up their capacity.”
Alausa said the engagement with institutions from the southern zone was aimed at reviewing the 2024/2025 intervention guidelines and fostering transparency.
“There’s no doubt that TETFund has greatly benefited our tertiary institutions through numerous interventions and improvements.
“However, under the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our focus now is to ensure maximum value from every naira spent in our institutions,” he further stated.
He also raised concerns about the unchecked proliferation of satellite campuses, calling it “unsustainable and counterproductive.”
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said the agency is moving towards a more sustainable and performance-driven funding model.
Echono stated, “The Fund has been moving toward a more sustainable model of funding. This is in line with the broader objective to reduce institutions’ reliance on government subvention and to encourage Public-Private Partnerships, particularly in areas such as hostel development, innovation parks and service facilities.”
Echono warned that underperforming institutions risk being removed from the list of TETFund beneficiaries.
“Institutional expansion must be checked, and we must avoid unnecessary duplication of mandates.
“Institutions that consistently fail to access, utilise, or retire funds appropriately, or that fall short of enrolment and academic performance thresholds, risk being delisted,” he warned.
He added that the goal of these new measures was not to punish, but to enhance the credibility and impact of TETFund.
He declared, “This policy is not meant to punish but to safeguard the credibility and impact of TETFund interventions. We want to ensure that the Fund’s resources are directed toward institutions committed to high standards of governance, transparency and accountability.”
He concluded by calling for deeper accountability and reform across the tertiary education sector.
“This engagement is a call to action. It is a platform to learn, reflect and commit to best practices in governance, project management and compliance,” he concluded.
Halima Dangote, daughter of Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, has disclosed the long-term ambition of the Dangote family to grow the business empire founded by her father into a company valued at about $200 billion.
Halima made the disclosure while speaking about the responsibilities that come with being a member of one of Africa’s most prominent business families.
According to a report by GhanaWeb, she said the family’s ambition goes beyond preserving the wealth created by Aliko Dangote, stressing that the next generation is expected to build on his achievements and significantly expand the conglomerate.
She also challenged the perception that she and her siblings have had an easy life simply because they were born into a wealthy family.
According to her, being the children of a highly successful businessman comes with significant expectations, particularly the responsibility of protecting, managing and expanding the business built by their father.
The Dangote Group has evolved from its beginnings as a trading company into a diversified conglomerate with operations spanning several key sectors of the African economy.
Its businesses include cement manufacturing, fertiliser production, petroleum refining and petrochemicals, among other industrial activities.
One of the group’s biggest investments is the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has expanded its operations and increased its processing capacity as it seeks to play a major role in meeting energy demand in Nigeria and beyond.
The conglomerate has also continued to pursue expansion across Africa, with investments aimed at strengthening its position in manufacturing and other strategic industries.
Halima’s comments underscore the role the younger generation of the Dangote family is expected to play in the future of the conglomerate.
Rather than simply inheriting the wealth accumulated by their father, the family is looking to expand the businesses and create an enterprise that operates on an even larger scale.
The proposed $200 billion valuation is a long-term ambition, not the current value of the Dangote Group. The target reflects the scale of growth the family hopes to achieve through expansion into new markets and increased investment in existing businesses.
Aliko Dangote has consistently pursued large-scale investments in sectors including refining, petrochemicals, fertiliser and cement, as part of his broader push to build globally competitive African businesses.
With the next generation increasingly involved in the family business, Halima’s remarks point to a long-term succession strategy focused not only on preserving the Dangote legacy but also on expanding its economic footprint.
The $200 billion ambition therefore represents the scale of the challenge facing the family’s younger generation as it seeks to sustain the conglomerate’s growth and build on the foundation laid by its founder.
…hails Gov Kefas, security agencies timely intervention
Senator representing Taraba Central, Haruna Manu, has appealed for calm and peaceful coexistence following the recent clash between Fulani and Mambilla communities in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Manu, in a statement personally signed by him, expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the violence and urged residents to put the incident behind them and embrace peace.
The clash reportedly occurred last Tuesday in Mbamga communities along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, leaving nine residents dead.
Reacting to the development, the senator called on his constituents and members of the affected communities to remain calm and avoid actions that could further escalate tensions.
“I want to appeal for understanding and plead with the families of the victims of the clash. This development is uncalled for, especially at this trying period for all and sundry,” Manu said.
He also commended Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, for what he described as his timely intervention in the crisis.
“I want to equally thank His Excellency, Dr Agbu Kefas, for his timely intervention to quickly nip the clash in the bud before it escalates,” he added.
The former Taraba Deputy Governor also praised security operatives for restoring peace to the communities.
Manu urged the various communities to continue to promote peaceful coexistence and work together to prevent a recurrence of violence in the area.
More than 6,000 members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defectors, led by the NDC’s former Enugu State Contact and Mobilisation Coordinator, Godwin Obasi, were formally received into the PDP by the party’s state leadership in Enugu on Saturday.
The reported figure of more than 6,000 was given by the defectors’ leadership and has not been independently verified. �
Vanguard News +1
Obasi said the group comprised members drawn from all 260 electoral wards and 17 local government areas of the state.
He said they decided to leave the NDC following dissatisfaction with what he described as the party’s choice of unpopular candidates for various elective positions.
“We decided that we were going to join the PDP. It is our right and choice. So, after we congregated, we are here today to officially join the PDP.
“We are from all the 260 wards and 17 local government areas in the state, and all of us have moved into the PDP from today,” Obasi said.
Obasi had earlier been identified as the NDC’s state coordinator for contact and mobilisation in Enugu, where he was involved in building the party’s grassroots structure ahead of the 2027 elections. �
Blueprint Newspapers Limited +1
Receiving the defectors, the Enugu State PDP Chairman, Vitus Okechi, welcomed their decision and assured them of equal rights and full participation in the affairs of the party.
Okechi said the new members would be integrated into the party’s structure and given opportunities to participate in its activities.
Also speaking, the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Uche Nnaji, assured the defectors of their full integration into the party.
Nnaji used the occasion to launch fresh criticism against the Enugu State Government, alleging that the administration had failed to fulfil some of its promises to residents.
He urged residents to participate actively in what he described as efforts to change the political direction of the state ahead of the 2027 elections.
Nnaji particularly criticised the state’s taxation policies, alleging that the government’s revenue drive was placing undue pressure on residents without corresponding benefits.
He further alleged that taxation had extended to newborn babies and deceased persons, while questioning the tangible impact of the revenue generated by the government.
On pensions and gratuities, Nnaji alleged that retirees in the state were being denied their entitlements.
“Our pensioners are not being paid. Enugu is the only place where pensions and gratuities are not being paid to our people.
“Nothing is paid to our people. Everybody is in a mess.
“Imo and Anambra pay their pensions and gratuities to date. What sin have we committed in Enugu State?” he asked.
Nnaji also claimed that the Enugu State Government had received substantially more federal funds under President Bola Tinubu than the three previous administrations combined.
He alleged that the funds received in about three years exceeded what the administrations of former governors Chimaroke Nnamani, Sullivan Chime and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi received during their combined 24 years in office.
“And President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has released so much money to all the states. What this government here has received is more than what the three previous governors, Chimaroke, Sullivan and Ugwuanyi put together.
“What they received in 24 years, this government has received in about three years. We are talking of trillions,” he said.
He also questioned the level of internally generated revenue reported by the Enugu State Government in 2025, alleging that the revenue collection had imposed additional hardship on residents.
The allegations made by Nnaji were political claims made during the defection event and were not independently verified in the reports reviewed. �
wazobiareportersng.com.ng
Meanwhile, PDP chieftain Basil Ani described the movement of the NDC members into the PDP as a boost to the party’s grassroots mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development comes as political parties in Enugu intensify grassroots mobilisation and positioning ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dangote Family Targets $200bn Empire, Halima Reveals
Senator Manu Urges Calm After Fulani-Mambilla Clash, Condoles With Victims’ Families
2027: Over 6,000 NDC Members Dump Party, Join PDP in Enugu
-
News20 hours agoNicki Minaj follows Peter Obi on X after viral repost
-
News20 hours agoSocial media abuzz as Aisha Buhari, Seyi Tinubu, Dino Melaye, others attend pre-wedding in Spain
-
News20 hours agoTikToker remanded over alleged defamation of Kano politician
-
Politics20 hours agoNDC Dissociates Itself From OK Movement PCC, Says Political Party Is Serious Business
-
Metro20 hours agoNDLEA officer drowns chasing drug suspect into Delta river
-
News20 hours agoHow ASUU brought snake to my office – Former VC
Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login