POLY STUDENTS GIVE NELFUND 5-DAY ULTIMATUM OVER LOAN DETAILS
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The National Association of Polytechnic Students has issued a five-day ultimatum to the Nigeria Education Loan Fund board to provide a detailed breakdown of fund disbursement.
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 students loan, N71bn is accounted for.
These allegations triggered a wave of outrage, culminating in a protest on Monday by members of the National Association of Nigerian Students, who blocked the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
In a communique issued on Wednesday, which was signed by the President, Eshiofune Oghayan and Senate President, Oyewumi Ayomide, NAPS said it would mobilise protests nationwide should the NELFUND fail to reveal breakdown of how polytechnics received funds.
“We issue a five-day ultimatum to the NELFUND board to publicly provide detailed breakdown of how funds were disbursed. Specific figures showing how polytechnic students benefited.”
The association further threatened to take actions 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.
It was reported that on Sunday, NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr in an interview on Channels Tv’s Politics Today 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 President, in his wisdom and well-intentioned programme, decided that he was going to set up the Nigeria Education Loan Fund.
“So the funds that we’ve been given is to bridge the gap for those who don’t have the money to be able to attain the education.
“No money is missing. No money has been stolen. There had been some issues with what happened at the phase of this where human intervention comes in.”
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