The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr, has expressed optimism that the ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will yield fair and positive outcomes.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Sawyerr lauded the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, for his leadership, expressing confidence that the dialogue would address the root causes of the current industrial action.
“As you are aware, the strike has only just commenced, and I know that under the excellent leadership of the Honourable Minister for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the negotiations will continue to move forward,” Sawyerr stated.
The NELFUND chief also assured that the ongoing ASUU strike would not disrupt the Fund’s operations, particularly its ongoing loan application process for the 2024/2025 academic session.
Over the weekend, NELFUND approved a final reopening of its loan application platform, allowing tertiary institutions that had yet to complete their student verification exercises to do so.
According to a statement issued by the Fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the portal would remain open from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14, to ensure all eligible students are properly verified by their institutions.
Sawyerr emphasized that NELFUND’s framework was designed to support students and complement broader government efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s education system.
“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. “I don’t think this should be jeopardised at all.”
He further stated that the agency was closely monitoring developments and would take directives from the Minister of Education regarding the next steps.
“We are seeking guidance from the Honourable Minister, who is our leader in this regard, and I will take guidance from him as to the way this should move forward. As of today, it will not affect upkeep, but the negotiations are ongoing, and we must be responsive to that,” Sawyerr added.
Sawyerr reiterated that NELFUND’s goal aligns with the current administration’s vision to make education work effectively for all Nigerians.
“This is all part of the package to ensure that education must work in Nigeria,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, has dismissed the Federal Government’s enforcement of the “No Work, No Pay” policy, declaring that the union would not be intimidated.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Piwuna said ASUU remained united, describing the directive as an attempt to divide the academic community.
“We don’t respond to threats, and nobody can threaten us,” he said, insisting that other academic bodies, including the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) and the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA), were in full support of the strike.
The Federal Government, in a circular dated October 13 and signed by the Minister of Education, had directed universities to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” rule against lecturers participating in the ongoing two-week warning strike, describing ASUU’s decision as “disappointing” amid 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 partly read.
The outcome of the negotiations between the Federal Government and ASUU is expected to determine the next phase of the union’s industrial action.
