The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has issued a five-day ultimatum to the Nigerian Educational Loan Fund (NELFUND) board to provide a detailed breakdown of fund disbursement.
The students made the demand in a communique issued today and signed by NAPS President, Eshiofune Oghayan, and Senate President, Oyewumi Ayomide.
NAPS threatened to mobilise for protests nationwide should NELFUND fail to provide the breakdown of how polytechnics received funds, reports The Nation.
The student loan scheme has come under intense scrutiny following allegations by the National Orientation Agency that some institutions, in collaboration with banks, have been making fraudulent deductions from student loan disbursements.
Last week, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said its preliminary probe revealed that while NELFUND had released N100bn as student loans, N71bn was accounted for.
But NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, in an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Sunday, debunked the allegation of missing N71 billion students’ loan.
He said, “We are all looking for this so-called money. First of all, let me be very clear. No money has been stolen.”
The communique by NAPS said: “We issue a five-day ultimatum to the NELFUND board to publicly provide a detailed breakdown of how funds were disbursed. Specific figures showing how polytechnic students benefited.
“NELFUND should provide concrete plans to remedy the glaring exclusion of our constituency.”
The association further threatened to take action should their demands not be met.
“Organise a mass protest with 0.9% of Nigeria’s 28.1 million students; File petitions with the DSS and EFCC for a full-scale investigation; Pursue democratic means, use all democratic means to seek justice”, the statement partly reads.
NAPS also said it has resolved its leadership crisis that lingered for months.
“Our house—once rattled by storms of discord—now stands tall. For months, NAPS grappled with a leadership crisis that threatened to erode its foundation. It was a moment of reckoning, one that tested the fabric of our values and the resilience of our cause,” it added.
It also lauded the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, Prof Idris Bugaje’s reforms, which it said have restored dignity to the polytechnic system.
“We extend heartfelt commendation to Professor Idris Bugaje, Executive Secretary of NBTE. His reforms have restored dignity to the polytechnic system, and his recent appointment of Comr. Opeyemi Ridwan—immediate past NAPS President—demonstrates an unwavering commitment to youth advancement,” it said.
NAPS also passed a vote of confidence on Comr. Sunday Dayo Asefon, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement; Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Youth Development, and Seyi Tinubu, for serving as the living bridge between students and the government.
