The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has assured stakeholders that its operations will continue unaffected by the ongoing strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television breakfast programme, on Tuesday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, expressed confidence that negotiations between the Federal Government and ASUU would yield positive and fair outcomes under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
“The strike has only just commenced, and I know that under the excellent leadership of the Honourable Minister for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the negotiations will continue to move forward,” Sawyerr said.
Over the weekend, NELFUND reopened its loan application platform to allow tertiary institutions yet to complete their student verification exercises to do so.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, the Fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, announced that the portal would be open from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14. She explained that the extension was to ensure all eligible students were properly captured and verified by their respective institutions as part of the ongoing 2024/2025 loan application process.
Sawyerr reaffirmed that the Fund’s operations would remain stable, noting that NELFUND was established to address several challenges within the education sector.
“We are confident that the ministry’s plans will be fair and equitable and will deliver the right results,” he stated. “This development will not impact our operations because the Federal Government has structured NELFUND to help address many of the issues affecting education.”
He added that the agency was monitoring the situation closely and would not make further pronouncements until guidance was received from the Minister of Education.
“The reality is that we don’t want students to be negatively affected in any way,” he said. “We are seeking guidance from the Honourable Minister, who is our leader in this regard. As of today, the strike will not affect upkeep, but we must remain responsive as negotiations continue.”
Sawyerr emphasised that NELFUND, as part of the current administration, is working to complement broader government efforts to ensure the effective functioning of Nigeria’s education system.
“I don’t want to make any pronouncements until I hear from the Honourable Minister, who will provide direction, because this is all part of the larger goal to ensure education works in Nigeria,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, ASUU has dismissed the Federal Government’s directive enforcing a ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy against striking lecturers.
ASUU Vice President, Dr. Chris Piwuna, said the union would not be intimidated by threats, stressing that all academic groups, including the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) and the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA), remain united in support of the industrial action.
“We don’t respond to threats, and nobody can threaten us,” Piwuna said.
On Monday, the Federal Government directed universities to implement the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy against lecturers participating in the ongoing two-week warning strike. The directive, contained in a circular dated October 13 and signed by the Education Minister, reiterated the government’s position in line with labour laws.
“The Federal Government reiterates its position on the enforcement of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy in respect of any employee who fails to discharge official duties during the period of strike action,” the letter partly read.