Untold stories behind Prof. Bogoro’s reinstatement as TETFund boss

Former Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, on Monday, returned to his duty post after three years of aborted tenure.

He replaced Dr Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, who took over from him in 2016.

Mr Bichi was sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari following recommendation to do so by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

According to an insider, the former TETFund executive secretary was sacked for serial insubordination, inaccessibility and speaking to the press without authorisation.

However, in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday morning, Mr Bichi said he was sacked for his refusal to give bribe to the minister of education.

Mr Bogoro was first appointed an executive secretary of TETFund in April 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, following his alleged nomination by former Bauchi state governor, Adamu Muazu, who then was the national chairman of the PDP.

He was, however, removed in February 2016 by Mr Buhari, on the allegation of channelling the agency’s fund to Jonathan’s campaign in 2015.

But, Mr Bogoro was later proved innocent.

TETFund’s director of public affairs, Benn Odaudu Ebikwo, said Mr Bogoro was reinstated to complete his tenure, which was aborted in 2016.

However, political pundits are of the opinion that the reinstatement of Mr Bogoro has something to do with the defection of former governor Adamu Muazu into the APC.

While Mr Bogoro hails from Bogoro local government area, Mr Muazu is from the neighbouring Tafawa Balewa local government area in the same Bauchi South Senatorial District.

To this end, sources see Mr Bogoro’s re-appointment as a political scheming towards recapturing the votes of Bauchi south where Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara hails.

According to the pundits, the supporters that the APC lost with the exit of Speaker Dogara will return to APC preparatory to the 2019 general elections.

However, others also see Mr Bogoro’s re-appointment as due to his outstanding performance as the head of the agency.

Pundits, however, admitted that there is “high profile political scheming” going on in the state as it is becoming evident when former Bauchi state governor, Isa Yuguda, who is also from Bauchi South, equally defected to the APC a few months ago.

Sources claimed that before his defection to the 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 Mr Muazu and others to reclaim their firm hold on the zone.

A top APC official in Bauchi state told Blueprint that 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.