The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has dismissed allegations that political loyalty is a consideration in determining which Nigerian students receive education loans, insisting that its application system operates without political, religious, ethnic or gender discrimination.
NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Akintunde Sawyerr, described the allegation as “completely ridiculous,” arguing that the scheme is designed for students rather than members of any political organisation. He spoke on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
According to Sawyerr, the electronic application platform relies on basic academic and personal information, including a student’s name and matriculation number, and contains no mechanism for identifying or screening applicants based on their political affiliations. He said applicants must also be Nigerian students enrolled in eligible public tertiary institutions.
Sawyerr said demand for the loans had been overwhelming but maintained that applications are processed according to established eligibility requirements. He stressed that the system has no capacity to distinguish applicants by tribe, religion or gender, describing it as a process focused solely on Nigerians who meet the stipulated criteria.
Meanwhile, NELFUND has also disowned a circulating claim that President Bola Tinubu had approved life imprisonment for graduates who fail to repay their education loans. The Fund described the claim as fake news, reaffirming that its interest-free student loans are available to eligible students in public tertiary institutions for institutional charges and monthly upkeep.
