- Education minister steps in
- Driving Transparency in Government-Owned Universities
- Compliance-tracking initiative
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has conveyed an emergency meeting to address the latest report indicting 51 institutions across the country over illegal deductions from the student loans disbursed by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) on behalf of their students.
The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, May 6, 2025, will be attended by Vice Chancellors of the affected universities and the Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr.
The Guardian earlier alleged in its report that over 50 institutions are making illegal deductions or introducing entirely new levies on their students outside the scope of the student loan—placing an additional burden on loan beneficiaries.
The report prompted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to release an erroneous claim that N71.2 billion of the student loan fund had been diverted. The anti-graft agency later admitted it relied on false figures and acknowledged the error.
There have also been reports of some higher institutions withholding loans meant for their students.
Education Minister Steps In
Worried about the back-and-forth allegations and complaints from beneficiaries of the Fund, Alausa, in a statement, said the meeting has become imperative to engage stakeholders and prevent any acts of sabotage against the student loan scheme.
The spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, who signed the statement, said:
“The meeting will aim to thoroughly investigate the matter, ensure full accountability, and reaffirm the Ministry’s zero-tolerance policy toward financial malpractice in the education sector.”
She said the Minister is highly displeased by the report and views the issue as a potential violation of public trust.
Driving Transparency in Government-Owned Universities
In a related development, the Education Ministry disclosed that it will be launching a compliance-tracking initiative in partnership with Athena Centre. This will also include a countdown webpage to monitor university transparency.
It further revealed that plans are underway to introduce an Annual University Transparency Index and provide technical assistance to institutions, while also promoting an open-portal initiative.
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