The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) says some beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) have received their June and July upkeep allowances twice. The association linked the reported duplicate payments to an alleged glitch on the NIP payment platform.
NANS advised affected students to keep the extra funds for now. According to the association, NELFUND may adjust the additional payment against future upkeep allowances.
NANS blames reported duplicate payments on NIP glitch
NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed the development in a post on X on Friday. He said the duplicate payments resulted from a payment platform glitch rather than an intentional disbursement by NELFUND.
He advised beneficiaries who received the allowances twice to save the extra money.
“To those of you who got NELFUND June & July twice, it was a glitch caused by NIP payment platform. NELFUND is not Father Christmas, so save the money very well, as that may be your next two months’ upkeep payment.”
NELFUND yet to respond officially
However, NELFUND had not issued an official statement on the reported duplicate payments as of the time of filing this report. The agency has also not clarified whether affected students will refund the excess funds or whether it will deduct the amount from future upkeep payments.
Therefore, beneficiaries are still waiting for an official explanation from the fund.
June and July allowance payments begin
The reported duplicate payments came days after NELFUND began paying June and July upkeep allowances to eligible students nationwide. In addition, several beneficiaries shared screenshots of successful payment alerts on X after receiving the funds.
Earlier, Babatunde confirmed that the disbursement had started. He also assured students that NELFUND would clear all outstanding backlogs.
Introducing the update, he said:
“The payment of June and July NELFUND upkeep allowances has officially commenced.”
He added:
“As I assured you, every outstanding backlog will be paid. We remain committed to ensuring that no eligible Nigerian student is left behind.”
NANS urges students awaiting payment to remain calm
Meanwhile, Babatunde appealed to beneficiaries who had not received their allowances not to panic. He explained that NELFUND was processing payments in batches and urged students to remain patient.
“To all beneficiaries, I urge you to remain patient as payments are processed. If you have not received yours yet, kindly stay calm, as disbursements are being made in batches.”
He also reaffirmed the association’s commitment to protecting the welfare and interests of Nigerian students.
“We are here for you, always, and we will continue to stand firmly in defence of the welfare and interests of Nigerian students.”
Students await clarification
The latest development follows weeks of complaints from students over delays in the payment of monthly upkeep allowances under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The NELFUND upkeep allowance provides monthly financial support to eligible students in tertiary institutions, while the fund pays tuition fees directly to their institutions. However, NELFUND has yet to explain the reported duplicate payments or the alleged NIP glitch. Consequently, affected students continue to await an official clarification from the agency.
Read also: NELFUND clears June, July upkeep backlog, pays students N40,000
