Students under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have issued a warning to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), threatening to shut down its forthcoming Board meeting if a student representative is not included in the Board.
The threat was contained in a letter dated February 13, 2025, signed by NANS President Lucky Emonefe and sent to the Managing Director of the Fund.
He expressed the association’s deep concern and discontent over the exclusion of students from the scheduled board meeting.
The letter, titled ‘Final Demand for Student Representation in the Scheduled NELFUND Board,’ warned that NANS would not hesitate to mobilize en masse to ensure that no meeting holds unless its representation was fully secured.
Emonefe described the continued exclusion of students as “Completely unacceptable,” noting that excluding students from the NELFUND Board was tantamount to shaving a man’s head in his absence.
The letter reads: “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 National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), as the apex student body representing over 50 million students across the country, will not stand idly by while critical decisions affecting our future are made in our absence.
“As the primary stakeholders and direct beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, it is completely unacceptable that students are sidelined from deliberations that shape the administration and disbursement of student loans.
“This fund was created for Nigerian students, and we will have a voice in how it is managed.
“We are demanding—not requesting—the immediate inclusion of a student representative in this board meeting.
“Failure to accommodate this legitimate and reasonable demand will result in the total shutdown of the meeting venue by Nigerian students.
“This is not an appeal; it is a final warning. Nigerian students have exercised patience for too long. We refuse to be spectators in matters that directly affect our education, future, and welfare. No student, no meeting.”
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had in April 2024 assented to the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Act, 2024. Those who make up the Board according to the act are drawn from relevant ministries, regulatory bodies, and participating agencies, including the Federal Ministries of Finance and Education, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Universities Commission (NUC), representatives of students of tertiary institutions, organized private sector, and others.
