By Ibrahim Ajala
One initiative the incumbent All Progressives Congress-led government has taken that’s greatly popular with average Nigerians is setting up the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Despite criticism over harsh economic decisions – though I’m optimistic these policies may yield long-term benefits – NELFUND is a welcome relief for millions. Beneficiaries across Nigeria have shared heartwarming testimonies about the student loan programme. Although, with living costs still high despite dropping inflation, NELFUND’s tuition support and upkeep allowance are huge reliefs for low-income students. I must give credits to the managers of the fund for running the programme transparently and in an inclusive manner, devoid of favouritism and nepotism that sometimes make government social interventions doubtful.
However, applause surrounding NELFUND rings incomplete without giving due recognition to the current chief of staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, for his pivotal role in initiating the ‘Access to High Education Bill’ in the House of Representatives that eventually birthed the students’ loan programme.
NELFUND management’s omission–or refusal–to acknowledge its founding story is an inexcusable administrative faux pas.
Before writing, I searched online for any mention of NELFUND origin — but found none, including its digital space. Let me be clear: this is not a criticism of NELFUND’s activity or undue praise of Gbajabiamila. Rather, it is about correcting the belief that only the executive arm runs the government, treating others as mere appendages and obliterating the fact that, in actuality, it is a system of interdependent parts.
It is also about Nigeria’s failure to consistently honour citizens, whose initiatives uplift the nation. Still, it is about making such a recognition a national culture, different from mere performative occurrence. I only decided to use Gbajabiamila’s situation to pinpoint this anomaly. After all, NELFUND was not spontaneous; it did not drop from the sky. Since the Nigerian Student Loan Board (the precursor to the failed Nigerian Education Bank, Decree 50 of 1993) was liquidated, it took three decades to get NELFUND. I strongly believe that only someone with students’ interests at heart, who believes education as a key to self-reliance and national development, could have pursued the initiative.
This is how I view Gbajabiamila’s role in fathering NELFUND — through the Access to Higher Education Bill he introduced in 2016 and his past interventions in the dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities versus government dispute. It is instructive to note that the bill did not become a law until 2023 – after it then APC presidential campaign team used it as a key messaging tool. Any way you look at it, the NELFUND’s management ought to acknowledge the seven years of legislative toil and resilience by the sponsor of the initiative.
Looking at it from another perspective, this deficiency in national recognition is an area where the National Orientation Agency (NOA) must do better. The NOA is, incidentally, a key institutional partner of NELFUND and frequently serves as the megaphone for its successes.
Yet, while the NOA amplifies NELFUND’s gains, it suffers from the same “selective amnesia”. As the agency tasked with promoting patriotism and national values, NOA has a basic duty to publicize and celebrate the labors of those who contribute to the national fabric. The agency must understand that giving recognition reinforces positive values, inspires resilience, and, perhaps most importantly, arouses a patriotic spirit in the youth who can then see that service to the fatherland attracts honor.
Although, some may argue that the efficiency of a public institution or cause matters more than who initiated it. Such an argument, however, is specious, parochial, and disregards the deeper psychological forces that propel human growth.
Abraham Maslow, the eminent American psychologist, outlined a five-tiered Hierarchy of Needs, with “Esteem” – explained as the craving for respect, achievement, and recognition – at its core. These are not trivial desires; they are basic drivers that inspire individuals to contribute meaningfully to society. Let me illustrate it with a soccer game. The cheers from the spectators and the encouragement of a coach often fuel a footballer’s hunger for result. It is the same in education, where a student who receives praise for an outstanding performance is far more likely determined to beat own record of accomplishment.
Likewise, organizational studies consistently reveal that acknowledgment—whether through awards, promotions, or even simple verbal appreciation–remains one of the most powerful motivators for sustained productivity and innovation. Unless we are prepared to argue that government institutions are esoteric, robotic systems to which humanistic psychology does not apply, which they are not. As I earlier stated, NELFUND is doing an admirable job and changing the narrative regarding public service delivery in Nigeria. It has proven that a government agency can be responsive, technology-driven, and free from nepotism. However, for its success to be holistic, it must also address its “gratitude deficit.”
Therefore, as NELFUND continues to provide a lifeline to thousands of Nigerian students, it must also restitute this anomaly.
Acknowledging the role of the legislature and the specific contributions of Femi Gbajabiamila would not diminish the achievements of NELFUND management.
It is time for our institutions to reflect the best of our national values – not just in what they deliver, but in how they remember those who made that delivery possible. The labors of our heroes past and present must indeed never be in vain.
Ajala, a lawyer, writes from Kwara
