The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has given a 48-hour ultimatum to tertiary institutions in the country to submit the data of their students to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
NANS emphasised that the inability of some institutions to submit the required data is denying students the chance to apply for a loan, and holding NELFUND from processing students’ applications for loans.
National President of NANS, Comrade Lucky Emonefe, on Monday said the deadline became necessary considering the July 12 deadline issued by the Fund for institutions to upload the data on their portal.
He said, “The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is appalled by the update from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), stating that many higher institutions have failed to upload their students’ data on the board’s portal.
“This comes in light of the deadline of July 12, 2024, issued by the management of NELFUND for the submission of students’ data.”
Emonefe also explained that NANS is displeased with some institutions’ nonchalance towards submitting students’ data, adding that the association will continue monitoring the activities of institutions to ensure full compliance with NELFUND.
“NANS frowns at this development as it shows a lack of commitment and urgency on the part of the remaining state higher institutions in Nigeria. NELFUND was established to provide interest-free loans to students in need, and it is disheartening to see that some institutions are not taking advantage of this limited opportunity for their students.
“We call on the management of these institutions to prioritise the uploading of their students’ data on the loan board portal before the deadline. Education is a fundamental right, and every student deserves access to financial support to further their studies.
“NANS will continue to monitor the situation closely and call on the remaining institutions to immediately ensure that all students have the opportunity to benefit from this loan scheme. We will not stand by and allow any student to be denied access to education due to administrative negligence.
“Failure to make this provision available to the NELFUND portal within the next 48 hours will leave us with the only option of rolling out our action plans against the erring institutions,” Emonefe said.
