Minister, NELFUND, VCS emergency assembly postponed

The highly expected meeting between the Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa with the Nigerian educational loan fund (Nelfund), 51 Vice Chancellor and Head of Tertiary Institutions, which were accused due to packaging of student loans, were postponed.

Although no reason was given for the shift, the minister took part in the International Conference 2025 on intelligent education and digital competence in Abuja on Tuesday.

It was found that a new date will be announced in due course.

A source that was entrusted to the Guardian said: “The shift was probably due to the planning of conflicts, and the meeting is postponed as soon as the ministers' obligations are cleared, and the stakeholders expect a productive discussion about the alleged problems with embezzlement.”

There have been concerns about the alleged non -authorized deductions from payments from student loans, double institutional fees by tertiary facilities and rejection of the beneficiary higher institutions to the reimbursement of students who had already received NELFUND student loans.

In a statement last week, the spokesman for the Folasade Boriowo Education Ministry announced that the meeting on Tuesday, May 6th, examines annoying reports that indicate that some institutions may have voted for the financial support of the students.

The program was based on allegations that some institutions and banks work together in order to conclude non -authorized deductions from credit funds for students.

In addition, the independent corrupe practices and other related crimes (ICPC) initiated an investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption in connection with the student loan process.

According to preliminary findings from the anti-graft agency, while NELFUND N100 billion looms published, only N28.8 billion no.

Last week, the Guardian had only reported that some institutions not authorized deductions in the range of 3,500 N and 30,000 N of tuition fees that were paid via the loan system are sufficient. Most institutions denied the allegations.

It triggered a widespread outrage and prompted members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to organize a protest on Monday that included the blocking of the Lagos BiDan Expressway.

In a chat with the Guardian, the initiator, Creative Change Center, Omole Ibukun, commented in the shift in deep concern and emphasized that urgent measures are necessary to address the problem, to ensure transparency and to protect the interests of students, are the beneficiaries of the loan system.

Ibukun found that the allegations of embezzlement and non -authorized deductions from student loan funds are serious problems that require immediate attention and measures by the authorities to restore trust and to ensure transparency in the loan process.

According to him, the postponement increases his initial suspicion that the loan of NELFUND will benefit “political loyalists and agents.

“This only confirms the previous suspicion that Nelfund was founded to regulate political loyalists and representatives in the ministry's pipeline, the universities and the fund.

“Because every serious government would organize a public investigation of those who are now supposedly supposedly supposedly, but instead the meeting that they have on this matter was postponed for no reason.

“It only shows that the government of Tinubu and its representatives in corruption are culpable.”