By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has protested its exclusion from the board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

This was stated in a letter dated February 13, 2025, addressed to the Managing Director of the fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, and the Chairman of the Board, Jim Ovia, by NANS President, Lucky Emonefe.

In the letter, which was released to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Emonefe described the continued exclusion of students as ?completely unacceptable?.

He demanded the immediate inclusion of a student representative in the forthcoming board meeting, threatening to shut down the venue if this was not done.

The letter, referenced as NANS/VOL1/GA1/A254, was titled: ?Final Demand for Student Representation in the Scheduled NELFUND Board?.

According to Emonefe, excluding students from the NELFUND board is akin to shaving a man?s head in his absence.

?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 NELFUND, 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,? he said.

He further stated that NANS would mobilise en masse to ensure that no meeting takes place unless student representation is secured.

It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu, in April 2024, assented to the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Act, 2024.

The Act provides for board members drawn from relevant ministries, regulatory bodies, and participating agencies.

These include the Federal Ministries of Finance and Education, Federal Inland Revenue Service, National Identity Management Commission, National Universities Commission, representatives of tertiary institution students, the organised private sector, and others. (NAN)

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