The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has given the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) a five-day deadline to publicly disclose how student loans have been disbursed, particularly to polytechnic students.
The ultimatum, issued on August 7, follows growing concerns about irregularities in the student loan scheme and recent calls for transparency from education stakeholders. NAPS warned that failure to meet the deadline would trigger mass protests nationwide and formal petitions to anti-corruption agencies.
In a statement signed by NAPS President Eshiofune Oghayan and Senate President Oyewumi Ayomide, the union demanded “a detailed breakdown of disbursements,” with specific figures showing how polytechnic students have benefited from the scheme.
“If NELFUND does not respond, we will mobilise at least 0.9% of Nigeria’s 28.1 million students for peaceful demonstrations, and also file complaints with the DSS and EFCC,” the statement read.
The demand comes amid heightened scrutiny of the loan fund’s operations. Earlier reports from the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) revealed discrepancies in the N100 billion disbursed, with only N71 billion reportedly accounted for so far.
The controversy has sparked nationwide outrage and protests by students, with accusations of institutional collusion and misuse of funds. NAPS is calling for accountability, urging the government to safeguard the integrity of student financial aid.
