On Thursday, May 1, students might have had money taken from their education loans without permission. The Ministry of Education quickly stepped in to look into what happened.
It all started when The Guardian newspaper reported that some Nigerian universities may have made unauthorised deductions from student loans given through the NELFund, a program meant to help students pay for school.
The Ministry’s spokesperson said they’re treating the situation with urgency. On Tuesday, May 6, the Ministry will meet with the Vice Chancellors of the affected universities and the Managing Director of NELFund to figure out exactly what’s going on.
Dr. Marut Olatunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, didn’t hold back. He said the news was “very disturbing and extremely concerning.” According to him, taking money from students without permission breaks the rules and goes against everything the NELFund stands for.
“Let me assure Nigerians that this matter will not be swept under the carpet. Anyone found culpable will face appropriate sanctions,” Dr. Alausa promised.
He reminded everyone that the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, created NELFund to help students and schools fairly and openly, and that any misuse of the fund is “unacceptable.”
To stop this from happening again, the Ministry will:
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Create a special webpage to keep track of how schools handle student funds.
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Give extra help and training to school staff so they can manage money more openly.
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Start a new University Transparency Index to encourage fairness and honesty in all schools.
Also, bursars (the people who manage money at schools) and ICT heads (who manage school technology) will get special training on how to run a clear, student-friendly system.
