Paul Chukwuma, the founder and promoter of Fides Et Ratio Academy, an educational service provider, has been detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). His detention is linked to a contract scandal involving the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
Chukwuma responded to an invitation from the ICPC at their headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday but has been unable to meet his bail conditions as of Wednesday. This information has been confirmed by PREMIUM TIMES.
In April, PREMIUM TIMES reported that TETFund awarded a controversial N3.8 billion contract to Chukwuma’s company, with N2.9 billion paid in four installments without following due process. Following this report, ICPC detained TETFund’s Director of Finance and Accounts, Gloria Olotu, and questioned other officials, including Kolapo Okunola, the Director of Human Resources and General Administration, and Joseph Odo, the Director of Information Communication Technology (ICT).
ICPC spokesperson, Ademola Bakare, confirmed on Wednesday that Chukwuma is in their custody. Chukwuma, a notable figure in Nigeria’s education sector, was recently listed among the members of governing councils of tertiary institutions by the Nigerian government, although this list is currently under review by President Bola Tinubu.
PREMIUM TIMES provided detailed reports on how TETFund, a tertiary institution funding agency under the Federal Ministry of Education, awarded the contract titled “Capacity Building Certificate Course (Communication, Entrepreneurship, and Productive Skill Development) inclusive of the Train-the-Trainer Programme for 502 Participants.” The funding for this contract came from the 2023 annual direct disbursement budget allocated for about 251 beneficiary institutions, including public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across Nigeria.
Multiple sources confirmed that the 2023 direct disbursement budget, totaling N15.2 billion, was intended for Information Communication and Technology (ICT) intervention projects. However, instead of disbursing the funds to the institutions as mandated, TETFund deducted N7.6 billion upfront from these institutions.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, told PREMIUM TIMES that each beneficiary institution contributed 50% of its ICT funds, while polytechnics and colleges of education contributed 25% to the project. TETFund handled the project selection, contractor sourcing, and memorandum of understanding with the vendor, causing dissatisfaction among many institution administrators.
Despite project designs and modalities still being finalized, sources revealed that TETFund credited Chukwuma’s company’s account with over N550 million on June 30, 2023. Additional payments of N820 million on July 12, 2023, N1.5 billion on July 26, 2023, and N62.68 million on November 17, 2023, were also made.
Despite beneficiary institutions denying the project’s execution, Chukwuma claimed during a meeting with PREMIUM TIMES that the project was completed. The project was designed to train 12 ICT officials across 251 institutions and onboard over 500,000 students for both physical and virtual sessions. However, only two ICT officials per institution participated in what some described as engagement sessions.
Chukwuma promised to provide documentary evidence supporting his claims but had not done so by the time of this report. He stated that his company aimed to help Nigeria achieve the best for its students and schools, with the courses being offered at a “ridiculously subsidized” rate.
On Tuesday, Chukwuma was invited by the ICPC to provide a statement regarding his involvement in the contract scandal. After reviewing his statement, the ICPC imposed strict bail conditions, requiring high-profile sureties among other criteria. Bakare confirmed that Chukwuma remains in custody because he could not meet these conditions.
Bakare stated, “Yes, Chukwuma is in ICPC’s custody, unable to fulfill bail conditions.” As of 6:05 p.m. on Wednesday, he could not confirm whether Chukwuma had met the bail conditions before the end
