PRESS STATEMENT

NELFUND’s Skills-focused Program Validates BAT-IG’s Policy Advocacy

September 8, 2026

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ideological Group (BAT-IG) has welcomed the emerging shift by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) towards linking student financing with labour-market demand, describing it as a significant validation of the group’s sustained policy advocacy under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The group said the development demonstrates that ideas consistently placed before government can translate into practical policy when there is political will, visionary leadership and a government genuinely committed to solving Nigeria’s problems.

NELFUND Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, recently disclosed that the Fund is increasingly examining the courses it finances alongside the employment prospects of graduates, asking what jobs are available and what skills are required to secure them.

Sawyerr also discussed the direction during his appearance on Politics Today on September 6, 2026, further highlighting the Fund’s growing focus on aligning education financing with the realities of the labour market.

The development closely aligns with a policy position publicly advanced by the convener of BAT-IG, comrade Bamidele Atoyebi on May 14, 2026, when he disclosed that he advocated for automatic employment opportunities for NELFUND beneficiaries graduating with a minimum CGPA of 3.5.

The BAT-IG convener said the latest direction is particularly significant because Nigeria’s unemployment challenge is increasingly structural: the country has young people seeking employment at the same time that employers report difficulty finding workers with the skills required by the economy.

Atoyebi had therefore advocated moving NELFUND beyond the financing of education for its own sake and towards an intervention that deliberately connects education, skills acquisition and employment.

The emerging NELFUND framework represents precisely the kind of policy thinking BAT-IG has consistently encouraged: government investment must be tied to measurable economic outcomes and the real needs of Nigerians.

He said the development also reflects a broader pattern in which several ideas advanced by the group have increasingly found expression in government policy and national conversations.

BAT-IG said this alignment reflects a wider philosophy it has consistently advanced since 2023: that President Tinubu’s vision requires like-minded leaders across government who understand his policy thinking and can translate it into people-oriented projects at every level. Atoyebi has repeatedly argued that the President cannot run the vision alone and that governors, local governments, ministers and heads of MDAs must understand the direction of the administration and complement federal efforts with practical interventions.

For instance, the group noted that federal investments in education and social interventions can achieve greater impact when states complement them with initiatives that address local realities. 

The Kaduna State approach of combining free education with school feeding, for example, demonstrates how state-level action can help bring more children into classrooms while addressing barriers such as hunger and street begging. Similarly, when state and local governments complement federal infrastructure with projects such as farm roads, the combined effect can accelerate development and economic activity across the country.

BAT-IG’s advocacy for the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to ease transportation challenges for civil servants, for instance, has formed part of the wider conversation around cushioning workers from the impact of rising transportation costs. Atoyebi made the CNG proposal after interactions with federal workers in Abuja in August 2026.

Similarly, the group’s long-standing emphasis on educating Nigerian children about the economic opportunities embedded in the country’s natural resources is reflected in the administration’s growing emphasis on practical economic education.

Atoyebi authored Nigerian States and Their Mineral Resources for Primary and Secondary School Pupils in 2024 as part of an advocacy to expose Nigerian children early to the resources, careers, businesses and investment opportunities available within their communities. He has described President Tinubu’s recent call for stock-market education in classrooms as a direct reinforcement of that philosophy of “catching them young.”

BAT-IG said these developments should not be viewed as isolated interventions but as evidence of a broader governance philosophy in which education, welfare, employment, skills development and economic opportunity are increasingly being connected.

The group also recalled its May 2026 advocacy around NELFUND, noting that it had consistently argued that beneficiaries should not merely graduate with certificates but should be positioned for productive employment and national economic contribution.

Atoyebi expressed appreciation to President Tinubu, the NELFUND leadership and relevant government institutions for demonstrating openness to ideas that can improve the lives of Nigerians.

He said the credit ultimately belongs to God for giving the administration the wisdom and capacity to pursue reforms, while commending President Tinubu for creating an environment where policy interventions can evolve in response to emerging national needs.

According to him, the significance of the NELFUND development extends beyond student loans.

It represents a movement from education for certification to education for productivity; from funding courses to funding skills; and from producing graduates to producing employable Nigerians.

BAT-IG said it would continue to provide constructive policy advocacy and support initiatives capable of advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda and building a more productive, skilled and economically empowered Nigerian population.

Signed:

Comrade Bamidele Atoyebi

Convener

Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ideological Group (BAT-IG)