Opponents against my reform agenda – TETFund boss

The Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sunny Echono, has warned of campaigns of calumny against his personality, being allegedly orchestrated by people he said were affected by his reform agenda in the organisation.

But he said he was not bothered over the development given that critical reforms being spearheaded by him in the TETFund would naturally attract blackmail by corrupt people who were angry that they had lost in continuing their fraudulent activities.

“I know petitions will soon start flying, and my opponents will join forces,” he noted in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja.

Echono further brought forward his comment when he signed the final batch of letters disengaging 37 of the 87 members of the National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee for failing to diligently discharge their duties or whose roles were at best unclear.

Echono further clarified that the TETFund was not a contract-awarding agency on behalf of beneficiary institutions, noting that the reference to contract splitting and padding in a recent publication was baseless and incomprehensible.

“The respective institutions do the design and costing of projects. So also is the supervision and management. The TETFund only monitors milestones attainments ahead of releases in tranches,” he said.

“To allege that someone who publicly distributed allocation letters “is in the habit of asking for advance payment in dollars before grants are given” is standing truth on its head. It is on record that since the resumption of duty, Arc Echono has not personally issued any grant or letter to any beneficiary institution but rather through technical departments responsible for each intervention area.”

“It is cruel to insinuate that vice-chancellors will be happy to meet the monetary demands without complaining, and vice-chancellors will be instructed to award the contracts to anointed contractors. When people are consumed with evil and hate, logic departs. It is noteworthy that no institution or vice chancellor was cited to buttress or corroborate this callous claim. Is anybody hurting? Why?” He queried.

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