The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Sonny Echono has given the assurance that based on ongoing strategies, no Nigerian student on foreign scholarship will be able to abscond again.
This is just as he called on Vice-Chancellors of UK universities to assist in ensuring that Nigerian students who absconded after scholarship awards to read various courses in Britain return home to contribute their quota to national development.
He made the statement when a delegation of British Univerities’ Vice-Chancellors paid him a visit in Abuja, Nigeria seeking collaborations.
According to him about 137 Nigerian scholars absconded after granting them foreign scholarships.
Echono explained that it is only through collaborations, like as being sought by the delegates that returning of the scholars could be made possible.
He said new approaches are being taken to ensure that cases of Nigerian students on scholarships absconding from the Uk do not repeat itself.
“What we’re trying to do is again through our partnerships, we are able to specifically guarantee that those who are applying for visas for programs sponsored by us are genuine.
“They will come they will achieve the objective and they will come back home.
“So the strength of our assurances is that we are getting a lot of improvements now, and we will continue to deepen that,” said the Echono.
The TETfund boss intimated the delegates of plans to establish four multi-disciplinary research laboratories across Nigeria early next year.
According to him, the labs/research centres would be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and will function twenty-four (24) hours a day.
He said the centres would also be used for medical diagnoses that were hitherto taken abroad.
“It is embarrassing that sometimes research is prolonged in the country due to lack of equipment. Some medical tests/samples are awaited for a very long time because the facilities are not here. These centers we are going to build will take care of all of those challenges.”
According to him, Nigeria is already partnering with some UK companies in that regard while seeking for more.
Echono said the governance structure is also being worked upon to ensure sustainability including power supply.
On the visit, the Executive Secretary said it is an opportunity for stakeholders to explore more mutual benefits in higher education partnership between the UK and Nigerian Universities.
“This is the opportunity for us and where we can tie the knots as stakeholders,” he said.
The Head of the delegation, who is also the UK Education Champion, Professor Steve Smith said the visit aims to deepen education and research relationships between the two countries as well as enhance internalization of research outcomes.
“It is all about partnership and mutual respect. That is how education, research and the population can benefit from the relationship between the two countries.
“It is worthy to note that 60 percent of research in the UK is published outside the country by somebody and that is the new way to go,” said Professor Smith.
He promised to through partnership support TERAS, the recently launched digital education platform in Nigeria.
