The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a stern warning to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), threatening to halt its upcoming Board meeting if a student representative is not included.
In a letter dated February 13, 2025, and addressed to the Managing Director of NELFUND, NANS President Lucky Emonefe expressed the association’s dissatisfaction with the continued exclusion of students from the Board’s deliberations.
Titled ‘Final Demand for Student Representation in the Scheduled NELFUND Board,’ the letter made it clear that NANS would take decisive action if students were not granted a seat at the table.
“We are writing to express our deep concern and outright discontent over the exclusion of students from the scheduled board meeting of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund,” the letter stated.
“As the apex student body representing over 50 million students across the country, NANS will not stand idly by while critical decisions affecting our future are made in our absence. This fund was created for Nigerian students, and we will have a voice in how it is managed.”
The association insisted that student representation was a right, not a request, warning that any attempt to hold the meeting without their involvement would be met with mass action.
“Failure to accommodate this legitimate and reasonable demand will result in the total shutdown of the meeting venue by Nigerian students,” Emonefe declared. “This is not an appeal; it is a final warning. No student, no meeting.”
It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu signed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Act, 2024 into law in April 2024. The Act stipulates that the NELFUND Board should consist of representatives from key ministries, regulatory agencies, and institutions, including the Federal Ministries of Finance and Education, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the National Universities Commission (NUC), representatives of students from tertiary institutions, and members of the organized private sector.