NELFUND recruits stranded 18 months after job offers

Nigerian citizens recruited by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund in 2025 have lamented their inability to assume duties nearly 18 months after completing their documentation, despite receiving letters of appointment from the agency.

The affected employees, numbering several dozen, said repeated appeals to the management of NELFUND and relevant government officials had yielded no result, leaving many of them stranded after resigning from previous jobs in anticipation of resumption.

What began as a moment of celebration and hope, they said, has gradually turned into a prolonged period of uncertainty, financial hardship and emotional distress.

Some of the affected workers told The PUNCH that they left paid employment immediately after receiving their appointment letters, while others informed their families of a new beginning, expecting to resume work within weeks.

Instead, they have spent more than a year waiting for a resumption date that has yet to be communicated.

Documents exclusively obtained by The PUNCH show that NELFUND issued letters of appointment dated January 14, 2025, following a recruitment exercise conducted by the organisation.

The letters, signed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, informed successful candidates that they had been offered employment after completing the agency’s screening exercise.

One of the appointment letters read, “Further to your recent screening with the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, you have been offered an appointment as … effective from the date of your assumption of duty.”

The letters further stated that the employees would remain on probation for one year from the date they assumed duty and directed them to communicate acceptance of the offer within 14 days.

The successful candidates subsequently completed all documentation on February 3, 2025, after which they said they were informed that resumption would follow shortly.

However, nearly 18 months later, many say they have yet to receive any official communication indicating when they will begin work.

Beyond the financial implications, the prolonged delay has taken an emotional toll on many of the affected employees and their families, who had looked forward to the stability the appointments promised.

Frustrated by the silence, the employees formally petitioned the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loans, Scholarship and Higher Education Financing, Mr Ifeoluwa Ehindero, in a letter dated January 27, 2026.

The letter, written under the aegis of New NELFUND Employees Awaiting Resumption and signed by Biko Daniel, read in part, “We, the affected employees, are writing to express our concerns regarding our delay in resumption of duty after the resumption notice sent on January 14, 2025, and documented on February 3rd, 2025. It has been over a year since we received the notice, and despite our efforts to comply, we have yet to resume our duties.

“We are worried about the prolonged uncertainty and its impact on our livelihoods and families. We kindly request a meeting with you to discuss the status of our resumption and the necessary steps to be taken.”

Appealing for intervention, they added, “We believe in your capacity that this will aid your fatherly attention, love and care to our long waiting expectation, as we can’t wait to join our friends who were documented together on February 3rd 2025.”

When no visible progress followed, another letter conveying similar concerns was submitted to the lawmaker on February 10, 2026.

Still without a response, the employees escalated the matter to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, in a detailed letter dated May 1, 2026.

In the correspondence, they congratulated the minister on his appointment and expressed confidence in his leadership while drawing attention to the hardship they had endured since receiving their employment offers.

The letter also detailed the sacrifices many of them made after receiving their appointment letters.

“Having successfully completed the recruitment process conducted by the NELFUND management, we received the offer letters, participated in the documentation, filled our resumption forms and were informed that resumption would follow shortly.

“With joy, we left our former jobs, told our wives and children of a new beginning. Several months have passed, and we are yet to receive official communication on a definite resumption date.

“This prolonged wait has caused us and our families financial, emotional, and psychological strain,” the letter read.

Despite the uncertainty, the employees reaffirmed their commitment to the agency’s mandate and the Federal Government’s student loan programme.

“We remain deeply committed to the vision of NELFUND and the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President to expand access to higher education through student loans. We are eager to contribute our skills and energy to this noble mandate,” they stated.

After receiving no response to their earlier appeal, the group sent a reminder to the Minister of Education on June 16, 2026.

In the follow-up letter, they stressed that the prolonged delay had become increasingly difficult to bear.

“The delay continues to traumatise the affected staff,” they stated.

The employees also appealed for urgent intervention.

“We believe a brief meeting with you will provide an opportunity to present the facts, clarify grey areas, and seek your kind intervention to fast-track our resumption process.

“This will enable the new employees to commence duties and contribute meaningfully to the mandate of NELFUND,” they added.

With more than a year having passed since the appointments were issued, the affected workers are urging the management of NELFUND, the Federal Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities to clarify their employment status and provide a definite timeline for their resumption.

NELFUND was established under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act to provide interest-free loans to eligible Nigerian students in tertiary institutions. The agency commenced operations in 2024 as one of the flagship education initiatives of the Federal Government and has since disbursed billions of naira to students across the country. The recruitment exercise that produced the affected employees was expected to strengthen the institution’s operational capacity as demand for the loan scheme continued to grow.

Reps pledge intervention

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loans, Scholarship and Higher Education Financing has promised to intervene in the matter with a view to resolving the impasse.

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH on Sunday, the chairman of the committee, Mr Ifeoluwa Ehindero, confirmed that the lawmakers were already engaging both the affected employees and the management of NELFUND.

He said, “I am aware of this issue, and I have met with the new employees. I don’t know if they told you that. I have also met with the management staff of NELFUND.

“The truth is, the agency employed these people with the hope of expanding rapidly, but they have not been able to do so due to obvious constraints.

“I will not accept the agency’s excuses because it is wrong to employ people and you are unable to get them started.”

Ehindero, however, expressed optimism that the agency’s financial position would improve in the coming months.

“NELFUND will be able to access the 15 per cent Development Levy as provided in Section 59 of the Tax Administration Act. They can’t access it until January 2027,” he said.

He pledged to intervene on Monday and urged Nigerians to bear in mind that NELFUND is barely two years old.

He expressed confidence that once the agency begins receiving the 15 per cent Development Levy, it would be better positioned to fulfil its mandate and expand its operations for the benefit of Nigerians. (Punch)