The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has dismissed recent allegations of fraud within the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), insisting that the claims of missing funds are baseless and rooted in a misunderstanding of disbursement timelines.
Alausa made the clarification in Abuja on Wednesday during a strategic meeting with key stakeholders, including Vice Chancellors of federal universities, officials of the National Universities Commission (NUC), representatives of NELFUND, and senior officers of the Federal Ministry of Education.
He said, “Let me start by saying emphatically that there is no fraud in NELFUND. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has clarified that the information circulating was inaccurate. What we’re dealing with are issues tied to procedural timelines, not financial misconduct.”
The clarification comes in response to an earlier statement from the ICPC, which disclosed it was probing discrepancies in the student loan disbursement process.
The revelation sparked widespread concern across the country, particularly among student bodies. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has since issued a warning, threatening nationwide protests should the government fail to provide transparent explanations and ensure timely access to loans.
In reaction to the public uproar,. Alausa urged patience and emphasized the complexity of rolling out a programme of such magnitude, noting that logistics, verification, and institutional coordination were responsible for the perceived delay.
He said, “This is the first time Nigeria is implementing a nationwide education loan scheme at this scale. There are bound to be administrative bottlenecks, but that does not translate to corruption.”
He assured that the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with NELFUND and other regulatory agencies, is working to streamline processes and accelerate disbursement to eligible students.
Meanwhile, the ICPC has disclosed that its investigation is ongoing.
NANS President, Lucky Emonefe, in a press statement, reiterated students’ demands for accountability. “Our future is at stake. We want the funds disbursed as promised, and we want clarity on how public resources meant for education are being managed,” he said.
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