Prof. Elias Suleiman Bogoro took his predecessor by surprise when he returned to his duty post at TETFund. Uji Abdullahi examines what led to the fall of Dr Abdullahi Bichi Baffa.
Background
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) was established as an intervention agency under the TETFund Act. It is charged with the responsibility for managing, disbursing and monitoring the education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
To enable the TETFund achieve the above objectives, TETFund Act, 2011 imposes a two per cent Education Tax on the assessable profit of all registered companies in Nigeria. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is empowered by the Act to assess and collect education tax. The Fund administers the tax imposed by the Act and disburses the amount to tertiary educational institutions at federal and state levels. It also monitors the projects executed with the funds allocated to the beneficiary institutions, specifically for the provision and maintenance of essential physical infrastructure for teaching and learning; instructional material and equipment; research and publication; academic staff training and development; any other need which, in the opinion of the Board of Trustees, is critical and essential for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standards in the higher educational institutions.
Return of Bogoro and speculations
Former executive secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro, on Monday, returned to his duty post at the agency that is responsible for funding of the nation’s public higher institutions of learning after three years of aborted tenure.
He replaced Dr Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, who took over from him in 2016.
Baffa’s sack took him and the staff of the Fund by surprise as the development became known to them only after Bogoro entered TETFund’s chief executive’s office triumphantly in the morning with his letter of resumption.
“He has since taken charge of the affairs of the Fund and has also addressed the management staff on arrival this morning,” a source told Blueprint.
Who is Bogoro?
Prof. Bogoro, a former lecturer with the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), was first appointed as the executive secretary of TETFund in April 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, but was removed in February 2016 by the Buhari-led APC administration, on the suspicion that he misdirected the agency’s fund to Jonathan’s campaign in 2015. But he was later proved innocent.
While some welcomed Bogoro’s re-appointment, saying it was due to his outstanding performance as the head of the agency, others see it as a strategic political move to strengthen the chances of the ruling APC in Bauchi state in the 2019 general elections.
Prof. Bogoro was appointed by Jonathan following his alleged nomination by former Bauchi state governor, Adamu Muazu, who served as PDP national chairman during Jonathan’s tenure up to the 2015 elections.
Following his removal from the position in 2016, Bogoro went back to ATBU and continued with his teaching job until Monday.
Prof. Bogoro hails from Bogoro local government area, and Muazu is from the neighbouring Tafawa Balewa local government area in the same Bauchi south senatorial district.
Education minister’s connection
The deputy director of press, in the ministry of education, Mr Benn Bem Goong, had issued a statement confirming President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of the reinstatement of Bogoro as TETFund boss.
In the statement, minister of education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said the re-instatement of Bogoro was with immediate effect, with the same terms and conditions as it were in his previous appointment and as stipulated in the TETFund staff conditions of service.
A letter signed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Sunny Echono and addressed to Prof. Bogoro dated January 21, entitled, “Re-Instatement of Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund,” said, “You shall be eligible for re-appointment for further term of four years only subject to satisfactory performance.”
President Buhari urged Bogoro to utilise the opportunity to re-focus the Fund and render its performance more responsive to the yearnings of the present administration.
Move to capture Bauchi south?
TETFund’s director of public affairs, Benn Odaudu Ebikwo, said Bogoro was reinstated to complete his tenure, which was aborted in 2016.
Mixed reactions however, trailed the reinstatement of Prof. Bogoro as fund’s boss, in his home state of Bauchi, especially among politicians.
In an electioneering period, people see every move a government in power takes as political scheming. Thus, many Nigerians in the opposition parties saw the sack of Dr Abdullahi Bichi Baffa who hails from Kano as politically motivated.
Watchers of polity in the country argue that Bogoro returned to TETFund due to the former governor of Bauchi state’s (Adamu Muazu’s) recommendation, a move required for APC to garner votes from Bauchi south where Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara hails. This way, the supporters that the APC lost with the exit of Speaker Dogara will return to APC preparatory to the 2019 general elections, but how correct the argument is, is another narrative. Will APC pacify Bauchi at the expense of Kano electorate? Or Baffa has no political clouth in his home state?
Adamu Muazu connection
Recall that Adamu Muazu, alongside notable politicians from Bauchi state, recently joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) after what sources described as “high profile political scheming”.
Former state governor, Isa Yuguda, also from Bauchi south, equally shifted his tent to APC camp few months ago.
Sources claimed that before his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Speaker Yakubu Dogara, had a firm grip of the political apparatus in Bauchi south.
The Speaker’s defection to the PDP, it was gathered, had reduced the influence of APC in the senatorial zone, but the APC was trying to use Muazu and others to reclaim their firm hold on the zone.
A top APC official in Bauchi state said Prof. Bogoro is well grounded in politics of Bauchi south senatorial district.
“As an appointee of APC government, I have no doubt he would justify the responsibility given to him. Yes, Dogara is very strong but Prof. Bogoro would march him neck to neck.
“Prof. Bogoro is an elder in Bogoro, the hometown of the speaker and he too has empowered hundreds of people from across the divide and they would definitely support him to succeed,” he said.
Glowing tributes to Bogoro
A lecturer with ATBU, Simon Yalams, who is a close associate of Bogoro, said “Although some people may give the appointment a political undertone because it is the political season, to me his appointment has to do with his track records during his first tenure as TETFund chief. He is my colleague at ATBU and I know the kind of person he is.”
Former commissioner in Bauchi state, Dr. Audu Ghani Bogoro, said anybody who knew what Bogoro had done as TETFund boss would be happy to have him back there.
He, however, said that some people would definitely look at it from the political angle, even as he insisted that merit should always override political patronage.
NANS
The national leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the sack of TETFund Executive Secretary, Dr abdullahi Bichi Baffa.
NANS’ Public Relations Officer, Mr Adeyemi Amoo, gave the commendation in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday.
“NANS sees this action as a long overdue one, in the interest of the nation’s integrity, as NANS and some civil society groups had long protested and demanded for the sack of the TETFUND executive secretary months ago.
“NANS calls on the EFCC to immediately arrest and subject the sacked executive secretary to detailed probe on his activities through his days in office.”
Why Baffa had to go
Although no reason was given by the ministry for the unexpected termination of the appointment of Baffa, Blueprint gathered that several factors led to his sack.
According to a source, Baffa who was once a director general at Buhari Support Group, had disagreements with the education minister over the handling of the Fund, and was flouting orders from the ministry at will, which did not go down well with the minister.
Others said he was too involved in partisan politics, especially in his home state of Kano, therefore, he was unable to discharge his functions effectively.
Baffa was a special assistant to the education minister before his appointment as TETFund chief.
Past and present heads of TETFund
Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa (August 2016 – January 21, 2019); Mal. Aliyu Na’iya (February 2016- July 2016, in acting capacity) ; Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro (April 2014 – February 2016); mal. Aliyu na’iya
September 2012 – April 2014, again in acting capacity); Prof. Mamood Yakubu (August 2007 – August 2012); Mal. Mustapha Abba Jaji (September 1999 – August 2007); Mal. Tijani Ahmed Abdulkadir (January 1994 – September 1999) and back to Prof. Suleiman Bogoro (January 21, 2019 – ?).
