• Ogun CP intervenes, appeases protesters
• NELFUND clarifies disbursement process, denies funding graduated students
Members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), yesterday, staged a peaceful protest on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway to express frustration over their inability to access the Federal Government’s loan for students under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Meanwhile, NELFUND has responded to media reports that it was paying institutional fees and upkeep allowance to students who had graduated, insisting that it has stringent measures in place to ensure transparency and accountability in the disbursement of funds to eligible students.
Though no violence was reported during the protest, the demonstrators barricaded the expressway and caused a temporary disruption to vehicular movement.
Their primary grievances included the purported lack of transparency and accountability in the disbursement of the Federal Government Tertiary Education Trust Fund meant for student loans.
The protesters decried the rising cost of tuition and called for improvement in learning conditions and facilities across tertiary institutions.
However, the protest was called off following an appeal by Ogun State Commissioner of Police (CP), Lanre Ogunlowo, who engaged the protesters and appealed for calm.
He urged NANS leadership to reopen the expressway for normal traffic flow, assuring them that their concerns would be urgently communicated to relevant authorities.
Following the rapport and reassurances, the students called off the protest and moved to the State Command Headquarters at Eleweran for a meeting with the CP on student advocacy through structured channels.
NANS demanded a presidential probe into financial discrepancies, citing the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) investigation revealing that only N28.8 billion reached students, leaving N71.2 billion unaccounted for.
Ogun State Chairman of the association, Gabriel Abiola, alongside Vice President, Felicia Akinbodunse, condemned the “gross misconduct” in loan disbursements, noting that 51 tertiary institutions allegedly made unauthorised deductions of N3,500 to N30,000 from students’ fees.
Francis said, “If out of the N100 billion released, N71.2 billion cannot be accounted for, that is a huge and stark graft.”
ICPC’s probe, launched after a petition from NELFUND and the National Orientation Agency (NOA), showed that NELFUND received N203.8 billion by March 2024, but only N44.2 billion was disbursed to 299 institutions, benefiting 293,178 students.
NANS urged Tinubu to investigate NELFUND’s activities and sanction culprits.
NELFUND charged the South South and South East regions to take greater advantage of the student loan scheme.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, stated this, yesterday, in Abuja during a stakeholders’ engagement session and technical workshop on system automation and the loan application processes.
Sawyerr stated that the event marked a significant step towards creating a fully digital, transparent and student-focused financial aid system for higher education in Nigeria.
He said: “We have to adhere to our processes. If a person has already paid their fees in their final year, and we have paid their tuition, it is the obligation of that individual to go to school. I know my fees are now being paid by an officer.
“But to complain that you have already graduated and you have left, the fact of the matter is, people applied in their final year. You have to go through a process that allows us to make sure that they are the ones who are actually applying and who actually need it.”
Executive Director (Operations) at NELFUND, Mustapha Iyal, disclosed that over 576,058 students registered, with a total application value of N170,437,179,836.
He urged institutions in the South East and South South to improve sensitisation efforts for timely loan applications.
According to the Chairman, House Committee on Students Loan, Scholarships and Higher Education Financing, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, to maximise effectiveness, the system requires modernisation and streamlining of fund management, tracking and delivery to eligible students.
He added: “This is essential for the success of the initiative and will go a long way in ensuring that our students benefit in a timely and accountable manner.
“Members of my committee have been working tirelessly to ensure that the legislative framework supports and facilitates these reforms. However, legislative efforts alone are not enough. We need your expertise, feedback and active participation to make sure that we have a system that works for everyone from the students applying for loans to the institutions managing the funds.”
The three-day event, which began yesterday with universities, will continue with polytechnics, monotechnics and institutes today. It will feature sessions with colleges of education, agriculture, health and nursing tomorrow. (Guardian)
