Problems with poly students Five-day deadline for NELFUND loan details

The Nigeria Education Loan Fund board has been given a five-day deadline by the National Association of Polytechnic Students to submit a thorough explanation of the fund distribution.

Following claims by the National Orientation Agency that certain universities, along with banks, have been deducting false amounts from student loan payments, the student loan program has come under close examination.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission said last week that its initial investigation showed that N71 billion is accounted for even though NELFUND had given N100 billion as student loans.

Members of the National Association of Nigerian Students protested Monday by blocking the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in response to these accusations, which sparked a wave of fury.

In a statement released on Wednesday and signed by Senate President Oyewumi Ayomide and President Eshiofune Oghayan, NAPS threatened to organize protests across the country if the NELFUND did not disclose the breakdown of how polytechnics were paid.

“The NELFUND board has been given a five-day ultimatum to publicly disclose a comprehensive breakdown of the allocation of monies. concrete data demonstrating the advantages for polytechnic students.

In the event that their requests were not fulfilled, the association also vowed to take action.

“Organise a mass protest with 0.9% of Nigeria’s 28.1 million students; File petitions with the DSS and EFCC for a full-scale investigation; Pursue democratic means, use all democratic means to seek justice”, the statement partly reads.

PUNCH Online had reported that on Sunday, NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr in an interview on Channels Tv’s Politics Today debunked the allegation of missing N71 billion students’ loan.

He said, “We are all looking for this so-called money. First of all, let me be very clear. No money has been stolen.

“The President, in his wisdom and well-intentioned programme, decided that he was going to set up the Nigeria Education Loan Fund.

“So the funds that we’ve been given is to bridge the gap for those who don’t have the money to be able to attain the education.

“No money is missing. No money has been stolen. There had been some issues with what happened at the phase of this where human intervention comes in.”