NELFUND Boss Dismisses Political Bias Claims, Says Student Loan System Cannot Detect Party Membership

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has rejected allegations that its student loan scheme favours Nigerians based on political affiliation, describing the claim as “completely ridiculous.”

NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the loan application system was designed around basic student information and has no mechanism for determining whether an applicant belongs to a political party.

Sawyerr made the clarification on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, stressing that students applying for the loan are required to provide details such as their names and matriculation numbers.

“I have not heard this allegation, but I can tell you that it’s a completely ridiculous idea,” Sawyerr said, dismissing the suggestion that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was using the scheme to support students affiliated with the ruling party.

He questioned how political affiliation could even be established, particularly when many beneficiaries are yet to vote or are voting for the first time. He noted that the electronic application process simply checks the information required to determine eligibility and does not identify political party membership.

Sawyerr also maintained that the system does not discriminate based on gender, ethnicity or religion. According to him, applicants only need to be Nigerians who meet the requirements for the interest-free education loan.

“We have a system that is focused on people who are Nigerians and meet the standard. The system doesn’t recognise your gender. There is no bias in the system at the front end or the back end,” he said.

The NELFUND chief added that demand for the loans had been “overwhelming,” as the agency continues to provide interest-free financial support to eligible students in public tertiary institutions. The scheme covers institutional fees and provides monthly upkeep allowances to qualified beneficiaries.

The clarification comes as NELFUND continues to face public scrutiny over the administration of the student loan programme and allegations surrounding its transparency. The agency has also recently dismissed other claims about the scheme as misinformation.