NELFUND: Adamawa university students accuse school of withholding refunds

• Students of Modibbo Adama University, Yola, are protesting the school's alleged refusal to refund fees as reportedly directed by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)
• Some students have reportedly received refunds, raising concerns about the school's alleged reason for failure to refund others
• With living costs rising, students are calling for urgent government intervention to ease their financial burden and ensure fairness in the refund process

Yola, Adamawa state - The students of Modibbo Adama University of Yola have protested against the school authority for allegedly refusing to refund their fees as reportedly directed by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

Some of the affected students who spoke to Legit ng said "the school claimed that they don't have their account numbers and they have not executed any form of procedure officially to request students to compile their account numbers.

Students of Modibbo Adama University, Yola, stage an online protest over alleged non-payment of NELFUND refunds amid rising living costs. .. Photo credit: Modibbo Adama University, Yola.. Source: Facebook

However, the students said the university management has paid some of their colleagues, raising questions on how the school authority's claim of not having the account numbers to refund the money to.

Modibbo Adama University bans physical protest

The students expressed said "the school has banned a physical protest, and that is why they are using social media, especially X, as their means of expressing themselves."

"We are tagging the school and NELFUN in our protest," one of them told Legit.ng."The plight of the students is alarming, as they are seriously in need of money. Many are struggling with living expenses and other costs to have a sustainable livelihood as students," another student added.

According to the press release by NELFUND, the updated loan disbursements for the university are N83,837,850 for 1,592 students.

Current students' situation

Students of MAUTECH Yola are still protesting, demanding urgent intervention as the cost of living continues to soar, a burden especially heavy for Nigerian students.

They are calling on the government to take decisive action to address the crisis and prevent future occurrences. The situation has become increasingly dire, with students expressing deep frustration and concern over their well-being.

Students of Modibbo Adama University, Yola, stage an online protest over alleged non-payment of NELFUND refunds amid rising living costs. .. Photo credit: Modibbo Adama University, Yola.. Source: Facebook

Modibbo Adama University reacts

Responding, the university said it has commenced the refund process, adding that it is being carried out in two phases—Batch A and Batch B.

According to a statement sighted by Legit.ng, refunds for Batch A were temporarily suspended due to discrepancies, including submissions from individuals not officially listed. This prompted a physical verification exercise by the bursary unit, which is still ongoing.

Refunds for Batch B resumed before the recent Sallah holiday, with several students reportedly receiving their payments.

The university urged recipients in Batch B to publicly confirm receipt of funds to counter misinformation. Students in Batch B who have not received refunds were directed to the bursary department’s students’ accounts unit for clarification.

The university reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, adding that once the verification process for Batch A is concluded, refunds will continue.

NELFUND warns Nigerian institutions against fraud

Meanwhile, barely a year after the student loan scheme took effect under the administration of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), it has run into issues. The body recently announced that it had disbursed over N20 billion to students in public tertiary institutions nationwide.

Now, NELFUND has uncovered a fraudulent scheme allegedly perpetrated by some of the public tertiary institutions under the scheme.

NELFUND announced on Thursday, April 10, in a statement that its findings show that some public institutions go ahead to demand institutional fees from the students despite already receiving the disbursements from the body.

.. Source: Legit.ng