The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme has been marred by allegations of illegal deductions and exploitation by 51 tertiary institutions. These institutions allegedly deduct between N3,500 and N30,000 from each student’s institutional fee received from NELFUND.
Institutions Involved
Some of the institutions implicated include:
– Modibbo Adama University, Yola
– Yaba College of Technology (YabaTech)
– Lagos State University of Education (LASUED)
– Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH)
– University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)
– Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria
– University of Ilorin (UNILORIN)
– Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife
The following are the allegations and Concerns:
NELFUND and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) have accused these institutions of engaging in “deceptive practices” by collecting institutional fees from the government without refunding the full value to students. The institutions are also alleged to have refused to disclose disbursement records, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
This scam from the University has Impacted negatively on Students, Students have reported adding extra fees without clear explanations, while others have faced challenges getting refunds for fees already paid before NELFUND’s disbursement. For instance:
University of Jos (UNIJOS): NELFUND disbursed between N145,000 and N150,000 per student, leaving a differential of N10,000 to N20,000 per student.
Federal University, Lafia: Students were shown N148,500 on the NELFUND dashboard, N28,000 more than the actual fee.
Abia State University: The school charges N132,500 instead of N125,000, making an extra N7,500 per student.
Nigerians are very concerned and called for Reform:
Some analysts have suggested that NELFUND pay fees directly to students instead of institutions to eliminate the risk of misappropriation and reduce bureaucratic hurdles. This move could ensure timely payments and promote transparency in the disbursement of funds. Moreover these loans will be paid back to government by same students after graduation so why can’t NELFUND trust them to have the money then pay the instructions since the institutions are not sincere and cannot be trusted.
They should also be made to explain why sabotaging the efforts for government to assistance indigent students.
