The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed that a simple typographical error in one of its press releases sparked widespread controversy over alleged discrepancies in the disbursement of student loans by the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
According to ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare, the agency’s initial statement claimed the commission had established discrepancies in the administration of the student loan scheme. However, Bakare clarified that the absence of the word “not” in the second-to-last paragraph of the statement was the source of the confusion.
“The impression of diversion and the issue of discrepancies do not exist at this stage; the investigation would have to move into the receiving institutions and persons before any reasonable deductions could be made,” Bakare explained.
The ICPC had released a statement titled ‘ICPC Launches Comprehensive Investigation into Discrepancies in Student Loan Disbursement’, which was prompted by a media report alleging 51 tertiary institutions were involved in illegal deductions and exploitation related to the NELFUND scheme. Bakare stated that the commission had only established the total amount of funds received and disbursed by NELFUND so far and that further investigation was needed before any conclusions could be drawn.
The ICPC attributed the typo to an unintentional error, saying it created an impression contrary to the commission’s intended message.
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