Low Student Loan Application: NELFUND Boss Engages Borno Students, Encourages More Participation

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, has engaged students and educators of tertiary institutions in Borno State over low application of the student loan scheme which he said is for all Nigerian students needing assistance in the pursuit of their tertiary education.

In highlighting the benefits of the NELFUND initiative, Sawyerr who emphasized the commitment of the federal government in revitalizing education in the country, said the loan programme is designed to also reduce unproductivity and unhappiness amongst Nigerian students, which often leads to broader societal issues.
Sawyerr explained that the loan’s modalities which include creating an online profile as prerequisite for application, stated that “the loan is interest-free and does not require a fixed repayment period. This is deliberate and to make it accessible and flexible for students.”              
The Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Lawan Abba Wakilbe, in his commitment towards ensuring that students of the state are well guided in accessing the loan, reiterated the state government’s commitment and went ahead to announce the establishment of a dedicated desk officer for NELFUND in the state.

He announced that his office in achieving this will work hand in hand with Mr. Ali Sheriff, the Special Adviser to the state governor, Prof.  Zulum, on Higher Education and other educators
According to Wakilbe, “This initiative has been added to guide students throughout the application process and ensure they fully understand the benefits of the loan which is a low-risk grant and every eligible student is encouraged to take advantage of the programme.”            

During the session, questions were raised seeking further clarification, where the managing director provided detailed responses, shedding more light on the programme and its benefits.British Court Awards £95,000 Damages against David Hundeyin for Defaming BBC Journalist

*Nigerian-born journalist taunts judgmentWale Igbintade

A British court has ordered Nigerian journalist, David Hundeyin, to pay £95,000 in damages to Charles Northcott, a BBC journalist, for publishing defamatory allegations in his article, titled, “Journalism Career Graveyard.”
The Royal Courts of Justice in London found Hundeyin guilty of libel, ruling that his claims have caused significant damage to Northcott’s reputation and career.

In a judgement delivered on October 8, 2024, Justice Julian Knowles also instructed Hundeyin to publish a summary of the court’s decision and demanded that the relevant parts of his article be removed from websites.
The case stemmed from an article Hundeyin published in 2022, where he accused Northcott of exploiting his position as director of the BBC’s Sex for Grades documentary to engage in inappropriate behaviour.
Hundeyin alleged that Northcott had used his authority to pressure Kiki Mordi, the Nigerian journalist who worked on the documentary, into providing sexual favours.
Hundeyin also claimed that Northcott favoured Mordi over Oge Obi, another journalist he claimed was the actual brain behind the documentary.

The court heard that the allegations had a severe impact on Northcott, who worked alongside Mordi on the Sex for Grades project, a ground-breaking BBC documentary that exposed the exploitation of female students by university lecturers in Nigeria.
In his judgement, Knowles accepted Northcott’s testimony that the defamatory publication had caused him “serious harm and distress,” both professionally and personally.
He acknowledged that the claims had not only tarnished Northcott’s reputation but also jeopardised his career, particularly in the area of investigative journalism focused on sexual abuse and human rights issues.

“I regard the libel in this case as being very serious. It was a direct attack on C’s professional integrity which, as a journalist, is of vital importance to him,” the judge held, according to the court document stated.
The court further found that Hundeyin’s conduct post-publication, including promoting the article on social media and tagging Mordi, was aggravated, and contributed to the harm caused to both Northcott and Mordi.
The article, published on Substack and widely shared on social media platforms, reached a large audience, including many in the UK, where Northcott was based. According to Northcott’s witness statement, the article and its associated posts generated over 40 million impressions between September 27 and October 31, 2022.

Hundeyin’s online actions were not limited to the article itself. He also posted a video of Northcott and Mordi together at Trafalgar Square, with a caption attacking Mordi and suggesting her career was over. Despite the court’s order to remove the defamatory article, Hundeyin ignored the directive, further compounding his actions.
The damages, which include both compensatory and aggravated elements, were awarded based on the article’s publication in England and Wales, with an estimated readership of up to 60,000 people.
The court emphasised the gravity of the allegations, stating that they are likely to have a long-term negative effect on Northcott’s professional standing within the BBC and the broader media community.
The court’s judgement was passed in Hundeyin’s absence, as he did not attend the proceedings nor was he represented in court.

But in a reaction on his X handle, formerly Twitter, Hundeyin taunted the judgement sum awarded against him.
He stated, “So I should spend my £800 to fly to London to go and prove to a white man why a story I wrote in West Africa about West African events involving West African people on a West African platform did not ‘defame’ some salty white boy. As for me, I feel say na craze.
“Please it wasn’t £95,000. Nigerian media should get it right and report it correctly. It was £950 million with two plots of land in Asokoro and one of my kidneys. I’m in the hospital typing this.”

The Sex for Grades documentary, produced by the BBC in 2019, shed light on sexual exploitation in Nigerian universities, where lecturers were shown demanding sexual favours from vulnerable female students in exchange for academic benefits.