NANS threaten to shut down NELFUND board meeting over exclusion

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has protested its exclusion from the board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

It, therefore, demanded the immediate inclusion of a student representative in the forthcoming board meeting, failing which it would shut down the venue.

In a letter dated February 13, 2025, and sent to the Managing Director of the Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, and the Chairman of the Board, Jim Ovia, NANS President, Lucky Emonefe, described its continued exclusion as “completely unacceptable.”

The letter, with Reference Number NANS/VOL1/GA1/A254, was titled: “Final Demand for Student Representation in the Scheduled NELFUND Board.”

According to Emonefe, excluding students from the NELFUND Board is tantamount to shaving a man’s head in his absence.

The letter read: “We are writing to express our deep concern and outright discontent over the exclusion of students from the scheduled board meeting of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), as the apex student body representing over 50 million students across the country, will not stand idly by while critical decisions affecting our future are made in our absence.

“As the primary stakeholders and direct beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, it is completely unacceptable that students are sidelined from deliberations that shape the administration and disbursement of student loans. This fund was created for Nigerian students, and we will have a voice in how it is managed.

“We are demanding—not requesting—the immediate inclusion of a student representative in this board meeting.

“Failure to accommodate this legitimate and reasonable demand will result in the total shutdown of the meeting venue by Nigerian students. NANS will mobilize en masse to ensure that no meeting holds unless our representation is secured.

“This is not an appeal; it is a final warning. Nigerian students have exercised patience for too long. We refuse to be spectators in matters that directly affect our education, future, and welfare. No student, no meeting.”

The Guardian reports that President Bola Tinubu had, in April 2024, assented to the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Act, 2024.

The Act provides for board members drawn from relevant ministries, regulatory bodies, and participating agencies, including the Federal Ministries of Finance and Education, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the National Universities Commission (NUC), representatives of students of tertiary institutions, the organised private sector, and others.