Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Dozens of Nigerians who received official appointment letters from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) in January 2025 are still stranded, unable to resume duties nearly 18 months after completing all documentation, according to multiple reports. The affected recruits, who number several dozen, said repeated appeals to NELFUND management and relevant government officials have yielded no result, leaving many of them in financial and emotional distress after resigning from previous jobs in anticipation of resumption.
Documents exclusively obtained by reporters show that NELFUND issued letters of appointment dated January 14, 2025, following a recruitment exercise conducted by the organisation. The letters, signed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, informed successful candidates that they had been offered employment after completing the agency's screening exercise. One of the appointment letters read, “Further to your recent screening with the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, you have been offered an appointment as … effective from the date of your assumption of duty”. The letters further stated that employees would remain on probation for one year from the date they assumed duty and directed them to communicate acceptance of the offer within 14 days.
The successful candidates completed all documentation on February 3, 2025, after which they said they were informed that resumption would follow shortly. However, nearly 18 months later, many say they have yet to receive any official communication indicating when they will begin work. Some of the affected workers told The PUNCH that they left paid employment immediately after receiving their appointment letters, while others informed their families of a new beginning, expecting to resume work within weeks. Instead, they have spent more than a year waiting for a resumption date that has yet to be communicated.
Frustrated by the silence, the employees formally petitioned the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loans, Scholarship and Higher Education Financing, Mr Ifeoluwa Ehindero, in a letter dated January 27, 2026. The letter, written under the aegis of New NELFUND Employees Awaiting Resumption and signed by Biko Daniel, read in part: “We, the affected employees, are writing to express our concerns regarding our delay in resumption of duty after the resumption notice sent on January 14, 2025, and documented on February 3rd, 2025. It has been over a year since we received the notice, and despite our efforts to comply, we have yet to resume our duties”. They added: “We are worried about the prolonged uncertainty and its impact on our livelihoods and families. We kindly request a meeting with you to discuss the status of our resumption and the necessary steps to be taken”. Appealing for intervention, they said, “We believe in your capacity that this will aid your fatherly attention, love and care to our long waiting expectation, as we can't wait to join our friends who were documented together on February 3rd 2025”.
When no visible progress followed, another letter conveying similar concerns was submitted to the lawmaker on February 10, 2026. Still without a response, the employees escalated the matter to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, in a detailed letter dated May 1, 2026. In the correspondence, they congratulated the minister on his appointment and expressed confidence in his leadership while drawing attention to the hardship they had endured since receiving their employment offers. They detailed the sacrifices many of them made after receiving the appointment letters. In a reminder sent to the minister on June 16, 2026, the group warned that the delay had become increasingly traumatic and called for urgent intervention to resolve the impasse.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, confirmed that he is aware of the situation and has held discussions with both the frustrated recruits and the management of NELFUND. He acknowledged that the agency had hired the personnel with the intention of rapid expansion but encountered constraints that prevented their immediate integration. Ehindero criticised the agency's handling of the recruitment, stating that it was improper to issue offers of employment without the capacity to onboard the staff. However, he expressed optimism regarding the agency's future, noting that NELFUND is expected to gain access to a 15 per cent Development Levy under the Tax Administration Act by January 2027. He pledged to intervene immediately to address the grievances of the stranded recruits while urging patience as the agency continues to navigate its early stages of operation.
As of the time of filing this report on Monday, June 29, 2026, neither NELFUND nor the Ministry of Education had issued an official response to the complaints. The NELFUND, established under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, began operations in 2024 to provide interest-free loans to eligible Nigerian students in tertiary institutions. For the affected recruits, the lingering uncertainty underscores not just a bureaucratic setback but a disruption of livelihoods, with many families still waiting for jobs they believed would commence early in 2025.
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