Student Loan: NELFUND Directs Varsities to Refund Students Who Had Paid Tuition Fees, Instructs Them Not to Disbar Successful Loan Applicants from Writing Exams

The Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has directed all tertiary institutions who had earlier received tuition fees from verified loan applicants to refund the fees to the students.

Likewise, the institutions were urged not to prevent students whose loan applications have been verified from writing their examinations.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, emphasised the need for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other higher institutions of learning to honour the agreement they earlier had with NELFUND.

He reiterated that fidelity to this agreement will address the complaints and concerns of many beneficiaries.

A check on the NELFUND website as at 8:21 pm yesterday showed that a total of 597,337 students had put in for the loan, while the applications of 547,954 had been successful.

Meanwhile on May 7, Sawyerr had disclosed to the House of Representatives Committee on Students Loan that N54 billion had been disbursed by the agency. 

At a sensitisation campaign at the University of Lagos, Sawyerr applauded the management for commencing the refund of fees to students who had earlier paid their tuition fees.

Represented by Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, Sawyerr remarked: “This(directive) doesn’t apply to UNILAG alone. It applies to all institutions that have received institutional fees from beneficiaries of the student loan scheme.

“UNILAG has commenced a refund of fees paid by some students, and we expect other institutions to do the same.

“We want to also remind tertiary institutions across the country of their agreement with NELFUND not to bar students from academic activities due to non-payment of fees, particularly students who have applied for, and have been verified under the loan scheme.

‘’They signed a memorandum of understanding to that effect, and NELFUND expects them to keep to that agreement. “

The NELFUND boss hammered on the importance of widespread sensitisation so as to bring more students into the student loan net, noting that the applications the agency have received so far is still abysmally low when compared to the number of tertiary institution students in Nigeria.

He also enjoined beneficiaries who are planning to relocate abroad after graduation to honour the loan obligation even after travelling out of the country.

Represented by the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Musa Obasola, the Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Mrs Fọláṣadé Ogunsola, assured those who are yet to be refunded that the university is going to do so next week once they submit their account numbers.

She noted that the mix-up over payment of fees was a result of a mismatch between NELFUND’s disbursement calendar and the university’s academic schedule.

During the session, NELFUND’s Head of Information Technology, Wale Ogunleye, disclosed that out of 7,112 UNILAG students who registered for the loan, the applications of 5,566 were approved and disbursements made to 4,636. 

At the University of Port Harcourt, Choba in Rivers State, the NELFUND boss dismissed allegations of fraud in the loan process, labelling it a premature attempt to bring down the scheme.

Represented by NELFUND Director in charge of  Administration, Zino Ugboma, Sawyerr restated the agency’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

He said: “The system may not be perfect, but we are trying to make it as humanly effective as possible.

“Sabotage and misinformation can ruin what should be a transformative programme for the country.’’ 

Sawyerr took exception to sensational reports being bandied around, urging concerned stakeholders to fix their gazes on the bigger picture and focus on how to refine the system for the benefit of Nigerians.

He disclosed that the number of applications received from UNIPORT students alone currently stood at 4,000, positioning them as the highest applicant institution in Rivers State.

He said: “As of this(yesterday) morning,  we have close to 600,000 students nationwide who have registered for the programme. UNIPORT’s  4,000 students are a major part of that success.’’

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, attributed the low interest in the scheme by Southsouth and Southeast students to deep-seated cultural dissonance.

Georgewill said the title ‘loan’ is scary and disparaging, hence, families in the two zones were reluctant to associate their children with debt despite the loan being interest-free.

He added that UNIPORT’s N78,000 tuition per year makes it easy for many families to pay without subscribing to the loan scheme.

He revealed that of the institution’s student population of 40,000, only 1,800 were currently benefiting from the loan scheme.

Georgewill suggested that the government tag the scheme a ‘repayable grant’, noting that this would allay the anxiety of parents, assuring them that their children are not   being indebted for going to school.

The Vice-Chancellor said: “Despite our advocacy, the word `loan’ is discouraging students from participating in the scheme.

“We can coin it to be a repayable grant which will make parents feel their children are not going to school through loan.’’ 

Georgewill also dismissed the alleged fraud in the scheme as baseless.