Jubilation as Buhari reappoints Dogara’s cousin as TETFund boss

Jubilation rocked Tertiary Education Trust fund (TETFund) office on Monday as President Muhammadu Buhari fired Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, the executive secretary.

Baffa was immediately replaced by Suleiman Bogoro, the former executive secretary, who was initially appointed by former president Goodluck Jonathan in April 2014.

TheCable confirmed that Bogoro and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of reps, are cousins.

Dogara’s supporters alleged that the move is intended to break the ranks of the speaker’s constituency and stop his return to the national leader.

The speaker defected from All Progressives Congress (APC) and returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018.

Bogoro initially handed over to Baffa in August 2016, having worked with Adamu Adamu, the current minister of education, as an adviser.

TheCable understands that Baffa was fired for his active opposition of the candidacy and reelection of Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of Kano state.

A member of staff, who spoke to TheCable, said many were jubilating the return of Bogoro to the helm, and not necessarily the exit of Baffa.

Mahmood Yakubu, the current chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was the third executive secretary of TETFund.

After Yakubu’s exit, Manya Aliyu was appointed executive secretary in an acting capacity for 17 months, before Jonathan appointed Bogoro.

TETFUND scheme was formed as a product of the Education Tax Act of 1993, but it was established as an intervention agency under the TETFund ACT – Tertiary Education Trust Fund Establishment, etc Act, 2011.

It is “charged with the responsibility for managing, disbursing and monitoring the education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria”.