The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disbursed the June and July monthly upkeep allowances to most beneficiaries in four tertiary institutions across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, providing financial relief to students under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The benefiting institutions include Yobe State University, Damaturu; Federal College of Education, Potiskum; Kashim Ibrahim University (KIU), Maiduguri; and the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi.
Investigation revealed that most eligible students have received ₦40,000, covering the June and July upkeep allowances of ₦20,000 per month.
The monthly upkeep payment is one component of the NELFUND programme, which also covers the payment of tuition fees for qualified students.
Confirming the development, the Dean of Student Affairs at Yobe State University, Prof. Sani Isa, said most beneficiaries had received their allowances.
He explained that students who did not receive the upkeep payments made errors during the online registration process.
“They did not press the upkeep button during registration, and that is why they are only enjoying payment of the school fees component,” Isa said.
He added that the university had intensified awareness campaigns to educate students on the registration process and prevent similar mistakes in future applications.
A History student of the university, Mohammed Sani, commended the Federal Government for introducing the scheme, saying the monthly allowance had eased the burden of transportation and feeding expenses.
Similarly, Ibrahim Suleiman, an NCE I student of the Federal College of Education, Potiskum, said the programme enabled him to continue his education after his parents could no longer afford his school fees.
However, a Computer Science student at the Federal University, Gashua, Ahmed Abdullahi, said he was yet to receive his June and July upkeep payments.
“June and July upkeep have not been paid. But my May upkeep was actually paid in June,” he said.
Responding to the complaint, the university’s Head of Information and Public Relations Unit, Alhaji Adamu Saleh, said the institution expected the payments to be made within the week.
“As you are aware, the ₦20,000 monthly upkeep allowance is paid directly into students” accounts by NELFUND. The university is not involved.
“But information available to us indicates that the payments are expected within the week,” Saleh said.
In Borno State, the NELFUND Desk Officer at Kashim Ibrahim University, Maiduguri, Mr Abdulsalam Mintar, said the institution consistently ensured that eligible students benefited from the scheme.
He added that the university also refunded students who had already paid their tuition fees once reimbursement was received from the Federal Government.
The Deputy Coordinator of the North-East Zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr Mohammed Umar, also confirmed that qualified students of the university had received their June and July upkeep allowances.
According to him, delays recorded in previous payments were caused by the late release of funds by NELFUND rather than any fault on the part of the institution.
One of the beneficiaries, Mala Gubio, said the scheme had removed the financial burden of paying school fees.
“We can now focus on our studies because we don’t have to struggle to pay school fees anymore,” he said.
A parent, Abur Mamman, urged the Federal Government to improve the scheme by ensuring that monthly upkeep allowances are paid promptly to avoid delays.
Also confirming the payments, the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Dr Abdulrahman Ishiaka, said delays experienced by some students were largely due to incorrect bank details submitted during registration.
He noted that whenever such issues were brought to the institution’s attention, they were corrected to enable affected students to continue receiving their entitlements.
A student of the Polytechnic, Fatima Hassan, appealed to the Federal Government to sustain timely disbursement of the upkeep allowances and strengthen communication between NELFUND and participating institutions to improve the implementation of the scheme.
source: NAN
