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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

NELFUND probes 34 schools over unpaid student refunds

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is investigating 34 tertiary institutions for failing to refund students who were charged tuition twice.
  • The issue arose after President Bola Tinubu directed the loan scheme to commence mid-academic session, leading to some students paying fees before receiving loans.
  • NELFUND is working with anti-corruption agencies and student bodies to resolve the matter, emphasizing that refunds are the responsibility of institutions that received double payments.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is actively investigating approximately 34 tertiary institutions accused of withholding refunds from students who were charged tuition fees twice under the government's student loan scheme. Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr confirmed the probe, citing a significant number of petitions from affected students.

I can tell you that there are about 34 institutions that we are looking at at the moment to see what’s going on because the number of petitions we’ve received.

— Akintunde SawyerrThe NELFUND Managing Director confirmed the number of institutions under investigation.

Sawyerr explained that the situation emerged when President Bola Tinubu's directive to start the loan scheme occurred midway through the academic session. This timing resulted in some students paying their tuition fees before the NELFUND loans were disbursed, leading to instances of double payment by the institutions.

"The refund process is entirely out of our hands. It is the recipient of the double payments that are obliged to make refunds to the students," Sawyerr stated, highlighting that many students rely on these refunds to repay borrowed funds for their education. He noted that while some institutions have been prompt with refunds, others have not, though he reserved judgment on the intentionality behind the delays.

What happened is that a lot of schools got double payment. Some from the students, some from us.

— Akintunde SawyerrSawyerr explained the cause of the double payment issue.

To streamline the process and reduce the risk of diversion, NELFUND deliberately pays tuition fees directly to institutions rather than to students. The agency is also upgrading its payment system to include a tokenized approach, allowing students to authorize tuition payments electronically via their phones.

The refund process is entirely out of our hands. It is the recipient of the double payments that are obliged to make refunds to the students.

— Akintunde SawyerrThe NELFUND boss clarified the responsibility for processing refunds.

NELFUND is collaborating with anti-corruption agencies, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), and internal auditors to address the issue. The agency aims to ensure that students who were overcharged receive their rightful refunds promptly.

Most students in this country are hard up. They don’t have enough money for themselves.

— Akintunde SawyerrSawyerr described the financial situation of many students relying on refunds.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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