The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has reassured stakeholders that its operations will not be disrupted by the ongoing industrial action declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, NELFUND’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Akintunde Sawyerr, expressed optimism that the strike will be resolved amicably. He cited the active involvement of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in ongoing negotiations with the academic union.
“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 stated.
Meanwhile, NELFUND has announced the final reopening of its student loan application portal to allow tertiary institutions that have not completed the student verification process to do so.
According to a statement released by the Fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the portal is accessible from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14. The extension aims to ensure that all eligible students are verified by their respective institutions as part of the ongoing 2024/2025 loan application cycle.
Sawyerr stressed that NELFUND remains committed to its mandate and will not allow the strike to derail its efforts to improve access to higher education funding.
“What the Federal Government has done with NELFUND is to put in place a scheme that will, in many ways, address some of the core issues in education,” he said. “I don’t think this should be jeopardised at all.”
While acknowledging that the strike may have broader implications, Sawyerr emphasised that the agency is closely monitoring the situation and is determined to shield students from its negative effects.
“Even though the funding that NELFUND is providing is for students, the rest of the ‘pie,’ if you like, is also being addressed under the excellent leadership of Dr. Tunji Alausa,” he added. “We don’t want to preempt ongoing negotiations, but we are hopeful of a fair and balanced outcome.”
