Student Loan Not Meant To Create Additional Burdens For Nigerian Students – NELFUND

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has warned tertiary institutions against delaying or refusing to refund students who had already paid their tuition before loan disbursement.

NELFUND also condemned what it described as arbitrary increases in tuition and other institutional charges by some schools.

NEWSNGR reports that the warning was contained in a statement issued by its Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.

The agency said it had received reports that some tertiary institutions were delaying refunds to students whose fees had already been paid before NELFUND released funds on their behalf.

“The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has noted with concern reports of some tertiary institutions delaying or refusing to refund students whose tuition fees had already been paid before NELFUND disbursements, as well as arbitrary increases in tuition and other institutional charges,” the statement read.

NELFUND said the student loan scheme, introduced by the President Bola Tinubu administration, was designed to ease access to higher education and should not be used to impose additional financial pressure on students.

“It was established to remove financial barriers to higher education, not to create additional burdens for Nigerian students,” it said.

The agency said it was already engaging affected institutions and relevant authorities to ensure that eligible students receive their refunds.

It added that it would continue to insist that charges imposed by institutions remain fair, transparent and in line with the purpose of the student loan programme.

NELFUND reiterated its commitment to protecting students’ interests and safeguarding the integrity of the scheme.

NEWSNGR understands that the development followed concerns raised by the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students over growing complaints from students.

Some students had alleged that their institutions failed to refund tuition fees months after NELFUND released payments on their behalf.

It could be recalled that NELFUND was established in April 2024 after President Bola Tinubu assented to the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Act.

As of June 25, NELFUND said it had disbursed about ₦282 billion for institutional fees and upkeep allowances, benefiting more than 1.5 million students across 301 institutions nationwide.