The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has reassured students and stakeholders that the ongoing ASUU warning strike will not affect its operations or student loan disbursement processes.
Speaking Tuesday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, NELFUND Managing Director and CEO, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the Fund remains fully operational despite the academic disruptions caused by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.
“As you are aware, the strike has only just commenced, and I know that under the excellent leadership of the Honourable Minister for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the negotiations will continue to move forward,” Sawyerr said.
NELFUND Portal Reopened for Final Verification Round
NELFUND also announced the reopening of its loan application portal from 12:00 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 12 to 12:00 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, to allow tertiary institutions that have yet to complete their student verification exercises to do so.
According to Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, Director of Strategic Communications, the extension was approved to ensure that all eligible students are verified and included in the 2024/2025 loan application cycle.
Funding Structure to Address Longstanding Education Gaps
Sawyerr emphasized that the education loan scheme is designed to address structural challenges in Nigeria’s higher education system and is a key component of President Tinubu’s reform agenda.
“What the Federal Government has done with NELFUND is to put a scheme in place that will address, in many ways, some of the issues in education,” he said.
“Even though the funding is primarily for students, the rest of the ‘pie’ is also being addressed by the excellent leadership of Dr. Tunji Alausa.”
Awaiting Guidance from the Minister of Education
The NELFUND CEO stressed that the agency is closely monitoring negotiations between ASUU and the Federal Government and will act in line with guidance from the Ministry of Education.
“We are seeking guidance from the Honourable Minister, who is our leader in this regard,” he said. “As of today, [the strike] will not affect upkeep, but the negotiations are ongoing, and we must be responsive.”
NELFUND Prioritizes Students Amid Strike
Sawyerr reaffirmed that students remain the top priority, and that the Fund will avoid making any premature decisions that could jeopardize their academic progress.
“The reality is that we don’t want to see students affected negatively in any way… We need to be very close to the discussions to determine what, if anything, will be affected.”
Meanwhile, ASUU has dismissed the Federal Government’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy, declaring it will not bow to pressure or intimidation.
