NELFUND denies political bias in student loan scheme
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, has dismissed claims that the student loan scheme is politically biased, describing the allegation as “completely ridiculous.” Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme on Sunday, Sawyerr said the electronic application process was designed to focus on students’ eligibility and does not have the capacity to identify their political affiliations. He explained that applicants are required to provide basic information, including their names and matriculation numbers, and must be students of public tertiary institutions. According to him, many beneficiaries are yet to vote or will be voting for the first time, while many others are not members of any political party. Sawyerr questioned how political affiliation could be determined even under a manual process, stressing that the loan system was not designed to distinguish between supporters of different political parties. He said demand for the loans had been “overwhelming” but maintained that applications are processed based on whether students meet the requirements for the scheme.
Sawyerr also rejected suggestions that the system discriminates based on religion, ethnicity or gender, saying the process is focused on Nigerians who meet the required standards. He explained that the system does not recognise whether an applicant belongs to one ethnic group or another, or whether the student is a Christian, Muslim or adherent of an African traditional religion. The NELFUND boss stressed that there is no bias in the system at either the application or processing stages. Meanwhile, NELFUND on Sunday dismissed as “fake news” a circulating image claiming that President Bola Tinubu had announced life imprisonment for students who fail to repay their education loans after graduation. The agency administers interest-free loans to eligible Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions, covering institutional fees and providing monthly upkeep allowances. Sawyerr’s comments come as the Fund continues to defend the transparency and eligibility-based nature of the student loan scheme amid questions over how beneficiaries are selected.
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