Fresh indications have emerged that the ongoing recruitment exercise at the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) did not receive approval from the Federal Ministry of Education, as the ministry has denied authorising the employment of new staff for the agency.
A senior source within the ministry also dismissed reports alleging that the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, was responsible for delaying the resumption of newly recruited NELFUND employees, describing the claims as false and misleading.
The clarification follows reports that several individuals who received employment letters from NELFUND in January 2025 have yet to resume work. According to the earlier report, the agency’s Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, attributed the delay to a directive from the Minister suspending the resumption process.
The report further stated that the affected employees completed all required documentation by February 3, 2025, and have since been waiting for further instructions.
However, the ministry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, maintained that no recruitment exercise had been approved for NELFUND.“I can authoritatively state that there is no approval for any recruitment exercise in the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as the agency is overstaffed with many personnel without office spaces and schedule of duty,” the source said.
The official insisted that media reports linking the delay in staff resumption to the Minister were inaccurate.
According to the source, NELFUND Board Chairman, Mr. Jim Ovia, had already halted the recruitment process before the Minister became aware of it.
The source explained that the agency’s executive management met with the chairman in Lagos, where he reportedly directed that the recruitment exercise be suspended because it lacked the necessary board approval and had not been formally discussed by management.
The source further claimed that when the agency’s three executive directors requested evidence of proper authorisation from the Managing Director, their request was allegedly ignored.
It was also alleged that despite objections from senior officials, the Managing Director proceeded with the recruitment process independently, including conducting documentation outside the agency’s established procedures.
According to the source, the board chairman subsequently instructed that individuals recruited through the disputed process should not be placed on the organisation’s payroll. He also reportedly ordered a comprehensive review of staff ranks to ensure transparency and compliance with organisational procedures.
The ministry official further alleged that after a recent visit by NELFUND management to the Minister’s office, the Managing Director held a private meeting with close aides and expressed his intention to continue with the recruitment exercise.
The source advised that the Board Secretary and the Executive Director of Operations could verify the directives issued during the Lagos meeting regarding the suspension of recruitment and the planned staff rank review.
The official also raised concerns over the agency’s staffing situation, claiming that about 80 per cent of NELFUND’s workforce is currently redundant.
According to the source, this concern was acknowledged during a recent management meeting, where senior officials reportedly agreed that increasing staff strength under the current circumstances would be inappropriate.
The source added that the Minister’s intervention had played a significant role in preventing what was described as a potential organisational crisis.
