The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has denied claims that it suspended student upkeep payments under the Federal Government’s Student Loan Scheme for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The clarification follows growing concerns among beneficiaries. Many students recently complained about delays in receiving their monthly upkeep allowances. As a result, a viral social media notice claimed the payments had stopped.
NELFUND dismisses viral notice
In a statement released on Saturday, NELFUND described the circulating document as fake. The notice, dated July 10, falsely claimed the Fund had suspended student upkeep payments.
The agency insisted the document did not come from NELFUND.
“The document being circulated is fake and did not emanate from NELFUND. Beneficiaries and the general public should disregard the misinformation and rely only on NELFUND’s official communication channels for authentic updates.”
Furthermore, the Fund said neither the Federal Government nor NELFUND had approved or announced any suspension of student upkeep payments.
Fund assures students
NELFUND said the fake notice falsely claimed that authorities had withheld funds for May, June and subsequent months. It also claimed payments would resume after the government released outstanding allocations.
However, the Fund insisted that it continues to disburse tuition and student upkeep allowances according to its mandate.
In addition, NELFUND warned that individuals now use fabricated documents and AI-generated content to spread false information. It said such actions could undermine public confidence in the student loan programme.
The agency therefore advised students, parents, tertiary institutions and the general public to verify every update through its official communication channels before sharing it.
Beneficiaries raise payment concerns
Meanwhile, some beneficiaries have continued to complain about delays in receiving their monthly upkeep allowances.
Several students said the delay has affected their daily expenses and preparations for compulsory industrial training programmes.
Earlier this month, NELFUND announced plans to introduce a digital token payment system for tuition disbursement. According to the Fund, the new system will improve transparency, reduce duplicate payments and make the process more efficient.
What happens next?
NELFUND says it will continue processing approved tuition fees and student upkeep payments for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Fund has urged students to ignore fake notices and rely on its official platforms for verified information.
