Fresh controversy has erupted over recruitment at the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), with the Federal Ministry of Education firmly denying allegations that Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, blocked the resumption of newly recruited staff.
The ministry insisted that NELFUND currently has no approval to recruit new employees and dismissed reports linking the minister to delays in the recruitment process as false and misleading.
According to ministry sources, NELFUND is already struggling with an oversized workforce, with many employees reportedly lacking office space and clearly defined responsibilities.
“The report in the media that the Honourable Minister of Education’s directive delayed NELFUND employees’ resumption is not only false but misleading,” a ministry source said.
“We can authoritatively state that there is no approval for any recruitment exercise in NELFUND at this time.”
The source disclosed that concerns over the recruitment exercise were first raised during a meeting between NELFUND’s executive management and the agency’s chairman, Jim Ovia, in Lagos. During the meeting, the chairman reportedly suspended the recruitment process after discovering that it had not received board approval.
According to the ministry, three Executive Directors also questioned the Managing Director about the authorisation for the recruitment exercise but were allegedly not provided with satisfactory evidence.
The chairman was said to have directed that individuals recruited outside the approved process should not be placed on the agency’s payroll while ordering a comprehensive review of staff ranks and organisational structure.
The ministry further described the situation within NELFUND as alarming, claiming that nearly 80 per cent of the workforce is currently redundant. It added that the agency’s management had acknowledged the challenge and agreed on the need for urgent reforms.
The ministry maintained that Minister Tunji Alausa’s intervention was aimed at protecting the integrity of the agency and preventing administrative and operational challenges, stressing that NELFUND remains without approval for any fresh recruitment exercise.
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