NELFUND REJECTS CLAIMS OF POLITICAL FAVOURITISM IN STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMME

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has dismissed allegations that its student loan scheme is being influenced by political affiliation, insisting that the programme is designed to support eligible students regardless of their political, religious or ethnic background. NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Akintunde Sawyerr, described the suggestion that the Federal Government was using the scheme to favour supporters of the ruling party as “completely ridiculous.” He made the clarification during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.

Sawyerr explained that the application process is largely electronic and requires applicants to provide basic academic information, including their names and matriculation numbers. According to him, the system is not designed to identify whether an applicant belongs to a particular political party or supports a particular candidate. He questioned how such political affiliations could even be reliably established, particularly among students, many of whom are either not yet eligible to vote or are preparing to vote for the first time.

The NELFUND boss further stated that applicants must meet the established requirements before their requests can be considered, with the process centred on students enrolled in eligible public institutions. He stressed that the electronic system provides a transparent framework for processing applications and does not contain mechanisms for selecting beneficiaries based on political connections. Sawyerr also maintained that the scheme has attracted overwhelming demand from students seeking financial assistance to continue their education.

He rejected suggestions that religious or ethnic considerations could influence access to the loans, saying the fund's responsibility is to process applications based on the criteria established for the programme. The clarification comes amid public discussions over the implementation of the Federal Government's student loan initiative and concerns about whether all eligible students are receiving equal access to the funding. NELFUND has continued to encourage qualified students to make use of the official application process rather than rely on political or personal connections.

Sawyerr's comments reinforce NELFUND's position that the student loan programme is intended as an education financing mechanism rather than a political instrument. With demand for the facility described as overwhelming, the agency is expected to continue processing applications as it seeks to expand access to financial support for students facing difficulties meeting the cost of higher education.