Ohanaeze Youths Outraged by South-East Exclusion from NELFUND Disbursement

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, the leading socio-cultural organization representing the Igbo community, has expressed outrage over the exclusion of the South-East from the initial disbursement phase of the students’ loan scheme.

This reaction follows claims that tertiary institutions in the South-East were unfairly omitted by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Last week, the Federal Government, through NELFUND, announced that N2.9 billion had been allocated to 27,667 students from 19 tertiary institutions nationwide. However, none of the beneficiaries were from the South-East.

In a statement issued to journalists on Tuesday, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the National President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, condemned the exclusion as unacceptable. He criticized NELFUND’s justification for the omission, which claimed that no institutions in the South-East met the required criteria.

Okwu stated, “We vehemently reject the rationale provided by NELFUND for excluding the South-East in this first phase of the loan disbursement. This situation perpetuates the long-standing marginalization of the Igbo people by those opposed to equitable treatment in our country.”

He demanded that the South-East be fully included in the loan program, emphasizing that it is disheartening to see the region continue to receive inferior treatment despite substantial support given to the current administration by the Igbo community.

Okwu urged the authorities of tertiary institutions in the South-East to address any issues promptly to avoid becoming obstacles to students’ futures. He warned that any further delays or shortcomings in the verification process would be seen as a betrayal of the youth’s interests.

“All parties involved in the verification process must act decisively and without further delay. Any failure to do so will be viewed as an affront to the future of our youth. Our future should no longer be compromised,” he concluded.