The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, has criticised ADC chieftain Dino Melaye over his comments on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), describing the former senator as a comedian and questioning his understanding of the student loan scheme.

Afeez made the remarks in a video circulating on social media on Tuesday, while reacting to Melaye’s recent criticism of NELFUND.

“Do people still take Dino Melaye serious? Dino Melaye is a comedian. He is a jester,” the NANS president said.

He also questioned Melaye’s record on education during his time in the Senate, asking what policies he introduced for students in his constituency.

Afeez challenged the former lawmaker to state whether he had provided scholarships or bursaries to students in his constituency.

“Dino Melaye should come out and tell us if he has even given ₦5,000 as scholarship to students or bursary to students in his area,” he said.

The NANS president said discussions about education policy should be based on adequate knowledge and understanding of the issues.

According to him, Melaye would not have made his claim about NELFUND if he had properly researched the programme.

“If Dino Melaye had done some research at all, he wouldn’t have embarrassed himself like that on national television stating that just ₦20,000 was given to students per year,” Afeez said.

He explained that NELFUND provides both educational loans and upkeep support, stressing that the ₦20,000 figure referenced by Melaye represents the monthly upkeep component.

“NELFUND has loan, and NELFUND has upkeep. Students are getting their educational loan and they are also getting the upkeep monthly,” he said.

“And the upkeep is not just ₦20,000 a year, it’s ₦20,000 monthly,” he added.
Afeez further said Melaye should have been aware of the structure of the scheme before criticising it publicly.

He also made allegations concerning Melaye’s involvement in a previous political campaign involving students, claiming that the former senator had promised students vehicles after asking them to endorse Atiku Abubakar.

“Dino Melaye, last election, came to Southwest to deceive students to endorse Atiku. After those students endorsed Atiku, he ran away with their money,” Afeez alleged.

He added that students involved in the incident were still available to verify the claim.

The NANS president also urged Melaye to consult the NELFUND platform and verify the programme’s institutional payments before making further comments.

“Even if Dino Melaye should go to ordinary NELFUND page, he will see schools acknowledging that they have received money from NELFUND,” he said.

The remarks followed Melaye’s earlier criticism of NELFUND, in which the ADC chieftain described the scheme as a “haven of corruption” and questioned the government’s claim that it was paying students’ school fees.

Melaye had focused on the ₦20,000 payment and asked, “Which government school today takes ₦20,000 annual school fees?”

He also challenged NELFUND to publish the names of students who had benefited from the programme.

Leading economists, financial experts and industry stakeholders have described the Dangote Group’s investments as major drivers of industrialisation and economic transformation across Nigeria and Africa.

The experts cited the Group’s impact on job creation, import substitution, foreign exchange conservation and economic competitiveness.

They voiced their thoughts at the Lagos Economic Summit themed “The Real Deal: Africa’s Greatest Investment Opportunity,” where they urged governments to implement policies that strengthen local industries and accelerate economic diversification.

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Samaila Zubairu, commended the Dangote Group’s sustained investments across Africa, describing them as critical to unlocking the continent’s economic potential.

He noted that while recent economic reforms have improved foreign exchange stability, strengthened reserves and eased inflationary pressures, the focus must now shift to growth in industry, productivity and employment.

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Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Muda Yusuf, said industrialisation remains the most effective path to sustainable economic development.

He called for better alignment of trade and industrial policies, stressing that local manufacturers require strategic support to compete effectively and drive broader economic benefits.

Founder and CEO of Nairametrics, Ugodre Obi-Chukwu, said Africa’s growing population presents a significant industrial opportunity, noting that investments such as the Dangote Refinery are helping to retain capital within the continent while strengthening local production capacity.

In his keynote address, Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, said Nigeria is gradually transitioning from a consumption-led economy to one driven by investment and production.

He added that sustained investments in productive sectors will continue to stimulate growth, create jobs and improve living standards.

Participants at the summit also advocated stronger credit infrastructure, improved national identification systems and increased investment in skills development to enhance the productivity and global competitiveness of Africa’s growing youth population.

Photo Caption: From Left – Chief Economist, Dangote Industries Limited, Dr. Hassan Mahmud; Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru; Chairman of Occasion/Special Guest of Honour, Samaila Zubairu; Key Note Speaker Session 1, Bismarck Rewane; during the Real Deal: Africa’s Greatest Investment Opportunity, Sponsored by Dangote Industry Limited in Lagos on Thursday 3, September 2026.

Social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has released what he described as his first piece of evidence after the Nigeria Police Force challenged him to substantiate his allegations that some police officers allegedly collaborate with kidnappers.

VDM released a video on his Instagram handle on Thursday, August 27, 2026, shortly after the police invited him to provide evidence supporting the claims he made at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt.

SEE MORE: ‘Provide Evidence’ — Police React to VDM’s Explosive Kidnap Allegation

The activist captioned the video: “My evidence number 1.”

Recalled that VDM, who was a panellist at the NBA conference on Tuesday, had alleged that some police officers manning checkpoints along major highways provide kidnappers and bandits with information about travellers.

According to him, the officers allegedly relay details about the identities and movements of travellers to criminal groups, thereby facilitating abductions for ransom.

The allegation triggered a response from the Nigeria Police Force, which denied the claim and challenged VDM to substantiate his allegations.

The police invitation came as the force sought evidence to support the serious claims made by the social media critic.

In response, VDM released the video, describing it as his “evidence number 1”, signalling that he may provide further material to support his allegations.

The development has continued to attract attention, with the controversy placing renewed focus on allegations of possible collaboration between security personnel and criminal groups involved in kidnapping and banditry.