Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) at the Federal University Kashere, Gombe State, have issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the President of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), threatening a peaceful protest over what they describe as frustrating delays in the refund of school fees paid before receiving loan approval. The aggrieved students, who spoke in a statement obtained by journalists on Monday, June 8, accused the union leadership of months of silence and inaction.
The students said they had paid their fees out of pocket while awaiting the loan disbursement, which was later approved. However, weeks turned into months with no refund. “For months now, there has been complete silence from the SRC leadership as if the issue does not exist and students’ money does not matter,” the statement read. The delay has left many beneficiaries in financial distress, as they were led to believe that the loan would cover their institutional charges without requiring them to pay upfront.
According to the students, each of them contributed ₦1,000 to fund the Students’ Representative Council, expecting their elected representatives to advocate on their behalf. “We funded the council because we believed it would stand by us when necessary. Unfortunately, that trust is gradually being eroded,” the statement added. They argued that the refund process lacked transparency, with some students allegedly receiving faster reimbursement due to personal connections rather than a fair queue. “Refund has now become a matter of connection. If you do not know somebody, your money simply remains pending,” they said.
The aggrieved students warned that if no concrete action or update is provided within 48 hours, affected beneficiaries will mobilise for a peaceful protest. “We are tired of excuses and silence. We are tired of being ignored. This is our money, not a favour,” they said.
In response, SRC President Kabir Danyaya dismissed the notion that the union had neglected the issue. He explained that the refund delay is not due to administrative negligence but to a technical problem involving the Remita payment platform, which the university uses to process financial transactions. “I have explained it to them; it is a result of a network problem from Remita,” Danyaya said in a telephone interview. He added that the university management is actively working to resolve the challenge and expects a solution within the week.
The refund concerns at Federal University Kashere are not isolated. Across Nigeria, the NELFUND loan scheme, which was launched to provide interest‑free loans to indigent students in public tertiary institutions, has struggled with disbursement delays and procedural bottlenecks. NELFUND Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr has previously acknowledged delays, citing factors such as late applications by students, differing academic calendars among institutions, and backlogs in verification. Sawyerr has repeatedly appealed to universities and polytechnics to refund students who had to pay fees out of pocket while awaiting loan approval. Gombe State University, a separate institution in the same state, also experienced overpayment and double‑refund issues earlier in the 2025/2026 session.
As the 48-hour ultimatum ticks, the SRC leadership faces growing pressure from a student body that feels ignored. Whether Danyaya can convince his fellow students that the delay is purely technical — and that the university will indeed resolve the Remita issue — remains to be seen. Should the deadline pass without a clear update, the Federal University Kashere could become the scene of the first major student protest of the 2026 academic calendar.
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