NELFund to NANS: Only Tinubu can appoint student representative to our board

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says only President Bola Tinubu can appoint a student representative on its board.

Earlier, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) threatened to disrupt a NELFund board meeting over the exclusion of student representatives.

In April 2024, Tinubu’s assented to the Student Loans Act.

The act provides for board members drawn from relevant ministries, regulatory bodies, participating agencies, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and student representatives for tertiary institutions.

In a letter addressed to Akintunde Sawyerr, the MD of NELFund, Lucky Emonefe, NANS president, said the students are “discontent” about being exempted from the board’s meetings.

The association demanded the immediate inclusion of a student representative in the board meeting.

It said failure to accommodate the demand would “result in the total shutdown” of the meeting venue by students.

Reacting during a press briefing on Monday, Funmi Alagbada, secretary to the NELFund board and general counsel, said it is under the president’s prerogative to appoint representatives to the board.

“We as management don’t have that authority to do so, and until he does so, there isn’t much we can do,” she said.

“What the act specifies is that a representative of Nigerian students in tertiary institutions, which encompasses universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

“It’s not specific to any particular body, there’s nobody that’s mentioned.

“We’re still waiting for the president to make that appointment.”