Published by Osasere Edomwonyi Ikpoba
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a firm warning to tertiary institutions across the country against the continued withholding of refunds owed to students under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), threatening sanctions against universities that fail to return fees paid by students who later benefited from the government loan scheme. The student body has also named 39 institutions it says have received NELFUND disbursements but have yet to reimburse students who had already paid their tuition from personal or family funds.
The warning comes amid growing complaints from students who, after successfully securing loans from the Federal Government's flagship education financing initiative, discovered that their institutions had received duplicate payments but refused to return the initial fees they had paid. NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde, has called on President Bola Tinubu to investigate and sanction vice chancellors and heads of institutions allegedly frustrating the scheme.
Speaking in a video message addressed to the President via his X handle on Tuesday, July 28, Babatunde commended the Federal Government for the implementation of the student loan programme, saying it has met the expectations for which it was established. According to him, students across the country have continued to receive both tuition payments made directly to their institutions and monthly upkeep allowances, describing the initiative as a major relief for beneficiaries. “I must say that the loan is living to expectation of what it was created for because we have seen students getting the loan directly to their school fees and we have also seen them getting the upkeep,” he said.
However, Babatunde alleged that several tertiary institutions were compelling students to source funds to pay their school fees before their NELFUND loans were disbursed, only to retain the loan proceeds after receiving payments from the fund. “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,” he said. He described the practice as an attempt to undermine one of Tinubu’s flagship education policies and called for disciplinary action against officials found culpable. “I think this legacy of yours needs to be protected and secured by all means possible,” he said. “If they are frustrating a policy that is meant to promote your government, I don’t see any reason why we are keeping them”.
The student leader further urged the Federal Government to publicly identify institutions allegedly withholding students’ funds and take decisive action against their management. “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,” he stated.
In a significant escalation, NANS Zone C, covering the North-Central region, has condemned the withholding of NELFUND refunds by some tertiary institutions in the region. The Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Abiola Azeez Babatunde, speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Wednesday, said the association was particularly concerned about students who had paid their tuition fees from personal or family funds before their NELFUND loans were disbursed. “Several students who benefited from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had already paid their tuition fees before the loan was disbursed, yet many institutions have continued to withhold their refunds for months,” he said. The NANS leader described the delay as unacceptable, arguing that retaining the funds defeated the purpose of the Federal Government’s intervention, which was designed to ease the financial pressure on students and their families. “NANS Zone C demands the immediate refund of all NELFUND payments due to affected students,” Babatunde said.
He warned institutional authorities against using students’ refunds for administrative purposes, insisting that money paid by NELFUND on behalf of students whose fees had already been settled belonged to the affected beneficiaries. “We will not tolerate any attempt by institutions to use students’ NELFUND refunds for administrative convenience or any other purpose,” he added. The association also issued a two-week ultimatum to tertiary institutions in the region that had yet to conduct Students’ Union Government elections, demanding that the process be commenced and concluded within the stipulated period. Babatunde warned that institutions that failed to conduct the elections within the two-week period would face “legitimate and constitutional actions” from the association.
The association also expressed concern over the imposition of what it described as exploitative charges, particularly penalties imposed on students who were unable to pay their fees before institutional deadlines. According to Babatunde, financial difficulties should not become a reason for students to incur additional charges capable of worsening their economic situation. NANS Zone C consequently urged tertiary institutions across Kwara, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory to review their fee structures and abolish charges that place unnecessary financial pressure on students.
The list of 39 institutions published by NANS includes Adamawa State University, Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Federal College of Education Yola, Kaduna State Polytechnic, Ogun State Institute of Technology, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, University of Education Akamkpa, University of Uyo, Yobe State University, Federal University Lafia, Modibbo Adama University, Nasarawa State University, Federal College of Forestry, Federal University of Education Pankshin, Federal Polytechnic Nyak, Plateau State University, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, Imo State University, Lagos State University of Education, Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies, University of Nigeria, Ebonyi State University, Federal College of Education Katsina, College of Agriculture Science and Technology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, University of Ilesa, Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences, Adekunle Ajasin University, Delta State University, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Ekiti State University, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, University of Calabar, Rivers State University, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Federal College of Education (Technical) Gombe, and Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic.
NANS urged the listed institutions to expedite the refund process, warning that students who paid their tuition before NELFUND disbursements should not be made to bear unnecessary financial burdens.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund itself has weighed in on the controversy. In a statement issued by Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, director of strategic communications, NELFUND warned tertiary institutions against delaying refunds to students who already paid their tuition before loan disbursement. The agency also condemned “arbitrary increases in tuition and other institutional charges”. NELFUND said the student loan scheme, introduced by the 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 added that it is engaging affected institutions and relevant authorities to ensure that eligible students receive their refunds and that charges imposed by institutions remain fair and transparent.
The issue of delayed refunds has become one of the major concerns surrounding the implementation of the student loan programme, alongside earlier complaints over delays in the payment of students’ upkeep allowances. NANS has also appealed to state governors to intervene in state-owned institutions, particularly where vice chancellors were appointed by state governments. “Some state governors also need to come together because some VCs are appointed by the state governors. If you really love the President, you must allow his policies to succeed,” Babatunde said.
As the two-week ultimatum begins to count down, the spotlight is firmly on the affected institutions. NANS has made its position clear: the era of impunity over student refunds must end.
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