According to the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), over 137 students sponsored abroad by the fund have absconded.

The issue was raised during a hearing before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc committee investigating the alleged mismanagement of N2.3tn tertiary education tax by TETFund.

The students, who were sponsored for higher education abroad, are refusing to return to Nigeria after completing their programs.

TETFund requires scholars to come back to the country after their studies and have a guarantor.

However, many scholars have ignored these requirements, causing financial hardship for their guarantors.

TETFund plans to enforce stringent measures, including declaring non-repayers as persona non grata, seeking support from embassies, and restricting their employment opportunities abroad.

Due to exchange rate challenges, TETFund may suspend foreign scholarships and focus on local training.

The federal government also owes TETFund N371.3 billion, of which N46 billion has been repaid. The investigation aims to prevent the misuse of public funds rather than witch-hunting.