The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to institutions that have yet to upload or complete the process of uploading their students’ data on the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund) portal, known as the Student Verification System (SVS). NANS warns that failure to comply may result in unpleasant consequences for the non-compliant institutions.

In a statement released on Monday, NANS President Lucky Emonefe highlighted that NELFund had set a deadline of July 12, 2024, for the submission of students’ data. Emonefe expressed concern that many students risk missing the opportunity to access loans due to their institutions’ inability to submit the required data to NELFund.

“NANS frowns at this development. This shows a lack of commitment and urgency on the part of the affected institutions. It’s disheartening to see that some institutions are not taking advantage of this limited opportunity for their students,” Emonefe said.

He urged the management of these institutions to prioritize uploading their students’ data to the NELFund portal before the deadline. Emonefe emphasized that education is a fundamental human right and every student deserves access to financial support to further their studies.

NANS has pledged to closely monitor the situation and called on the remaining institutions to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to benefit from the loan scheme. Emonefe warned that any failure by the concerned institutions to meet the deadline would compel NANS to take action.

“We will not stand by and allow any student to be denied access to education due to administrative negligence. Failure of the concerned institutions to make this provision available to the NELFund portal within the next 48 hours will leave us with the only option of rolling out our action plans against the erring institutions,” he warned.

The ultimatum underscores NANS’ commitment to ensuring that students across the country can access necessary financial support to continue their education without undue administrative hindrances.