Buhari Sacks Baffa As TETFund Boss, Reappoints Bogoro As New Head

The Federal Government has approved the appointment of Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, as the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

He was announced as replacement for Dr. Abdullahi Baffa who was sacked Monday.

Mr Ben Goong, Deputy Director, Information, Ministry of Education, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, said the appointment of Bogoro is with immediate effect.

Bogoro was Executive Secretary between April 2014 and February 2016, but Prof. Bichi Baffa was appointed to replace him.

Goong said Bogoro’s reinstatement was also with the same terms and conditions as it were in his previous appointment and as stipulated in the TETFUND staff conditions of service.

Baffa, who was an aide to Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, was appointed the head of TETFund alongside 14 other heads of parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Education on August 2, 2016.

He was to be removed with immediate effect with no official reason given for his removal.

But a source who pleaded anonymity attributed his removal to a running battle with Malam Adamu.

The source explained that Baffa, a close ally of Malam Adamu, disregarded the minister in the running of the agency.

The source noted that the ES had been having issues with the minister as regards the 2019 interventions for public institutions.

Another source stated that the former ES was neck deep in the politics of Kano, his home state, leading to speculations that he may be eyeing the governorship seat.

There was wild jubilation at the headquarters of the agency this morning in Abuja when Baffa’s sacking was made public.

The reinstated Prof. Bogoro was the executive secretary of TETFund under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

He was sacked by President Buhari in 2016.

Prof. Bogoro was alleged to have misappropriated N200 billion released to the agency for special intervention projects to beneficiary institutions to fund the reelection of Dr. Jonathan in 2015.

A source in the ministry of education explained that Prof. Bogoro was reinstated after been found innocent of the allegations.

The source said: “The other man has been reinstated to his position. There was an allegation about N200 billion disappearing from TETFund account. There was allegation at that time that it was used for electioneering campaign. It was discovered that the money was never released at all. It never really got to TETFund. So it was like TETFund was the victim, to say that someone misappropriated money that was never released at all.

“We had that impression until we now saw the records after the auditing. TETFund is now requesting the money to be released to them. The man was confirmed innocent of all the charges against him and when they finally submitted the report, there was a tendency to just let it be but when it got to the attention of Mr. President he demanded for his reinstatement immediately.”