Why NELFUND can’t pay fees of freshers – Sawyerr

By Isa Isawade

Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr, has explained why the Fund cannot pay institutional fees for new intakes before they complete their registration processes.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Sawyerr said that paying tuition for students who have not registered or matriculated could result in large-scale financial losses for the Fund.

“If we pay fees for students that have not entered, what if they changed their minds and they don’t go to the schools anymore?

“We cannot just say because somebody has been admitted to a school, and we will pay the fees before registering or matriculating,” he said.

According to him, doing so would amount to disbursing against intention, a practice he warned could be financially risky for the government.

“If we carry on like that, we could end up disbursing billions of naira, only to find out that they have dropped out, got admission to a school outside the country, gone to another school, or not doing that course again,” he argued.

He noted another key challenge which is the school admission process, where students needed a matriculation number to access the loan.

However, he said NELFUND was working closely with tertiary institutions to find a temporary solution, possibly allowing students to use their Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration numbers as a substitute for matriculation numbers.

“There are many genuine students who have applied, and they need matriculation number to be able to process their fees.

“The challenge is that they cannot get their matriculation number until they have matriculated and they cannot matriculate until they have paid.

We are trying to work with the schools to see how those who have registered, can use their JAMB registration number, as a substitute,” he added.