NELFUND Investigates 34 Schools Over Unrefunded Double Tuition Payments

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has launched investigations into 34 tertiary institutions accused of failing to refund students whose fees were paid twice under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.

NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this on Sunday during an interview on ARISE NEWS, saying the probe followed several complaints and petitions from affected students nationwide.

Sawyerr said the agency is working with the EFCC, ICPC, NANS, internal auditors and other stakeholders to determine the scale of the infractions and ensure students get their money back. “There are about 34 institutions we are currently looking at, based on the number of petitions we have received,” he said.

He explained that the problem started after President Bola Tinubu ordered an immediate rollout of the loan scheme mid-session. As a result, many students had already paid their tuition before NELFUND also paid the same fees directly to their schools, leading to duplicate payments.

“Quite a number of schools received payment twice once from the students and again from us. It is the duty of those institutions to refund the students,” Sawyerr stated. He added that many beneficiaries urgently need the refunds because they borrowed from family and friends before the loan came through.

While some schools have refunded students promptly, others have delayed. NELFUND is still investigating whether the delays are deliberate or caused by poor administration.

To prevent a recurrence, the agency is developing a token-based payment system that will let students approve tuition payments directly from their phones at school. Sawyerr also said NELFUND pays fees straight to institutions, not students, to stop diversion of education funds.

He admitted the agency lacks the legal power to compel refunds or prosecute offenders, which is why many students have also petitioned the EFCC and ICPC. A joint team from EFCC, ICPC, NANS and NELFUND auditors was recently sent to one of the institutions accused of withholding refunds.

Sawyerr further said NELFUND has rejected arbitrary tuition hikes by some schools, stressing that the agency will not fund unjustified increases as it works to make the loan programme more transparent.

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