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I Was Sacked Because Of 10% Kickback, Says Ex-TETFund Boss

He said: “The Minister sent someone to my office. He said I distributed over N200billion to tertiary institutions without remitting the 10 per cent kickback, which amounted to N20 billion.”

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Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, the sacked Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), says he was sacked from his position as head of TETFund because he failed to remit kickbacks to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

Speaking to BBC Hausa in an interview, Baffa revealed that his sack was ill-motivated by the Education Minister who gave unfounded excuses against him.

He said: “The Minister sent someone to my office. He said I distributed over N200billion to tertiary institutions without remitting the 10 per cent kickback, which amounted to N20 billion.”

He, however, denied the accusation against him, saying that he had never asked any institution to give kickbacks and challenged any institution with such information against him to come forward.

Baffa added: “If they bring any evidence indicting me, I’m ready to accept death punishment.”

Baffa further highlighted trumped-up allegations made against him to orchestrate his sack.

He said: “Adamu Adamu reported me to the president, requesting my sack but the president stood his ground and refuse to remove me. On Friday night, I was informed at the Presidential Villa that the Minister of Education came with a letter reporting me to the president

“I asked what was my offence? They alleged that the offences were inaccessibility, insubordination and speaking to the press without the minister’s permission."

Baffa maintained that he has no regret being sacked for refusing to take kickbacks and remitting them to Adamu’s office, claiming that he could not sabotage the country for the minister's sake.

The sacked boss was replaced by Suleiman Elias Bogoro, who was TETFund chief executive between 2014 and 2016. Bogoro was also sacked from office in 2016.