The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to investigate and sanction heads of tertiary institutions allegedly frustrating the implementation of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme. The student body accused some institutions of withholding refunds of school fees already paid by students after receiving NELFUND disbursements and inflating tuition figures submitted to the loan platform. NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde, made the allegations in a video message addressed to the President through his official X (formerly Twitter) account, according to a TVC News report.
Babatunde described the alleged practices as attempts to undermine one of the Tinubu administration’s flagship education policies and called for swift government intervention. What he is saying
Babatunde alleged that several tertiary institutions compel students to source funds to pay their tuition before NELFUND loans are disbursed, but fail to refund the students after receiving the loan payments from the fund. He said many affected students have continued to wait months for refunds despite repeated complaints. “Many institutions force students to look for money to pay before the NELFUND loan is paid and when the loans are paid, the institutions still hold the money and refuse to refund those students.”
“I think this legacy of yours needs to be protected and secured by all means possible. If they are frustrating a policy that is meant to promote your government, I don’t see any reason why we are keeping them.”
“Why will a school owe students money for three months, four months and not refund them?
It is evil. It is as if they are doing this to frustrate the good intention you have for creating the loan.”
The NANS President urged the Federal Government to publicly identify institutions allegedly withholding students’ funds and take decisive action against officials found culpable. More insight
Babatunde also appealed to state governors to intervene in state-owned tertiary institutions, particularly where vice chancellors and rectors were appointed by state governments.
He cited an alleged case involving a polytechnic in Edo State, where he claimed the tuition uploaded to NELFUND was significantly higher than the amount paid by students. He alleged that students at the institution paid N124,000 in tuition, while the school uploaded N250,000 to the NELFUND platform. “For instance, there’s a school in Edo State, a polytechnic, where students were paying N124,000 and the school uploaded N250,000 to NELFUND.”
“This money has to be paid back by the students when they start working, so they should not give them debt that is not their own.”
Despite the allegations, Babatunde commended the Federal Government for implementing the student loan programme, saying it has met expectations by ensuring beneficiaries receive tuition payments directly to their institutions alongside monthly upkeep allowances. What you should know
NELFUND had earlier in July announced plans to replace its current system of paying tuition fees directly to tertiary institutions with a digital token-based payment system.
The proposed system is aimed at eliminating double payments and improving transparency in the disbursement process. NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the upgrade would give students greater control over when their tuition payments are made. He added that the new system would also ensure that education loan funds are used strictly for their intended purpose. The planned transition to a token-based payment system forms part of NELFUND’s efforts to strengthen accountability and improve the efficiency of the student loan programme.
