The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has identified 43 tertiary institutions across Nigeria for their alleged failure to refund students whose tuition fees were paid twice under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme.
The students’ body said the affected institutions had received tuition payments from NELFUND on behalf of eligible beneficiaries after the students had already paid their fees personally, but had yet to reimburse the affected students.
In a statement issued by NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, the association said publishing the names of the institutions was intended to promote transparency, accountability and ensure that students receive refunds without further delay.
According to NANS, students should not be subjected to financial hardship because of administrative delays after their schools had received payments from the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The names of the alleged institutions
The institutions listed by the association include 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, Plateau State, 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, among others.
NANS urged the affected institutions to expedite the refund process, stressing that the publication of the list was aimed at safeguarding students’ interests and preserving confidence in the NELFUND programme.
The development follows NELFUND’s recent disclosure that it had begun investigating tertiary institutions accused of failing to refund students after receiving duplicate tuition payments under the Federal Government’s student loan initiative.
