The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has assured that the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will not disrupt its loan operations.
NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Akintunde Sawyerr, expressed optimism that ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and ASUU, led by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, would yield “fair and positive outcomes.”
“The strike has only just commenced, and I know that under the excellent leadership of the Honourable Minister for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, negotiations will continue to move forward,” Sawyerr said.
Over the weekend, NELFUND reopened its loan application portal to allow tertiary institutions yet to complete their student verification exercise to do so.
According to a statement by the Fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the platform will remain accessible from midnight on Sunday, October 12, to midnight on Tuesday, October 14, to ensure all eligible students are verified for the 2024/2025 loan cycle.
Sawyerr stressed that NELFUND’s operations remain unaffected by the strike, noting that the scheme is part of a broader government effort to address challenges in Nigeria’s education system.
“This development will not impact our operations because what the Federal Government has done with NELFUND is to put a scheme in place that addresses, in many ways, some of the issues in education,” he said.
He added that the Fund is closely monitoring discussions between the government and ASUU and would act on guidance from the Minister of Education.
“We are seeking guidance from the Honourable Minister, who is our leader in this regard. As of today, it will not affect upkeep, but the negotiations are ongoing, and we must be responsive to that,” he stated.
Meanwhile, ASUU has dismissed the Federal Government’s enforcement of the No Work, No Pay policy, vowing not to be intimidated.
ASUU Vice President, Chris Piwuna, said the union remains united and determined, describing the government’s directive as an attempt to divide the academic community.
“We don’t respond to threats, and nobody can threaten us,” Piwuna said, adding that other academic unions, including the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) and the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA), are backing the strike.
The Federal Government had on Monday directed universities to enforce the No Work, No Pay policy on lecturers participating in the two-week warning strike.
The directive, contained in a circular dated October 13 and signed by the Education Minister, stated that the government was displeased with ASUU’s decision to embark on industrial action despite ongoing negotiations.
“In line with extant provisions of labour laws, the Federal Government reiterates its position on the enforcement of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy in respect of any employee who fails to discharge his or her official duties during the period of strike action,” the circular read in part.
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