The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed claims that the Minister of Education caused delays in the resumption of newly recruited staff at the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, stating that no approval exists for any fresh recruitment at the agency.

Ministry sources said that NELFUND is overstaffed, with personnel lacking office space or defined schedules of duty, and that the recruitment exercise was conducted outside official channels.

"The report in the media that the Honourable Minister of Education's directive delayed NELFUND employees' resumption is not only false but misleading," the source said.

"We can authoritatively state that there is no approval for any recruitment exercise in NELFUND at this time."

According to the sources, the NELFUND chairman Jim Ovia first raised the matter at a meeting with the agency's executive management in Lagos, where he halted the recruitment process because it lacked board approval and had not been formally discussed by management.

The sources further alleged that three Executive Directors requested proof of authorisation from the Managing Director, but their concerns were disregarded.

"Despite objections from three senior officials, the MD proceeded independently, organising recruitment exercises and conducting documentation outside official channels," the source stated.

Ovia subsequently directed that those recruited outside due process should not be placed on the agency's payroll and ordered a review of staff ranks to ensure compliance with organisational protocols.

Ministry sources described conditions at NELFUND as alarming, noting that approximately 80 per cent of the workforce is redundant, a situation acknowledged at a recent management meeting where all four key leaders agreed that urgent steps were required.

"It is worth noting that the intervention by the Honourable Minister has been instrumental in averting organisational collapse," the source concluded.

NELFUND administers student loans to eligible Nigerians in tertiary institutions.