NELFUND: Against a culture of impunity, by Dakuku Peterside

When the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, better known as NELFUND, was unveiled, it landed like a spark in a dry forest of despair. It brought a glimmer of hope, like a bold attempt to democratise access to higher education in a country where tuition fees are a barricade and scholarships are too few, too politicised, or too elitist.
The idea was simple: interest-free student loans, disbursed through an automated and digitally tracked platform with zero human interference. For students who hav