The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has come under fire after announcing that no South-East students have qualified for the federal government’s student loan program. While the fund has disbursed millions of naira to students in other regions, the South-East remains unrepresented.
NELFUND recently announced that it had disbursed ₦2.9 billion to 27,667 students across 19 universities. However, none of the federal high institutions in the South-East were included in the list of beneficiaries. This sparked outrage and criticism from many in the region.
In response, NELFUND clarified that the absence of South-East students was not intentional. The fund stated that no federal high institution in the South-East had complied with the necessary verification process required to access the loan.
NELFUND emphasized that geopolitical zones are not a factor in determining eligibility for the loan. The fund sent a verification list to all eligible institutions, and payments were made only to those that had completed the verification process. Unfortunately, the South-East institutions had not yet responded.
NELFUND urged the South-East institutions to complete the verification process as soon as possible so that their students could benefit from the loan program.
The list of institutions that received the student loan includes prominent universities like the University of Maiduguri, University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, and Federal College of Education Technical Gusau.
The lack of South-East students in the loan program has raised concerns about fairness and discrimination. Some have questioned whether there are underlying issues that are preventing South-East institutions from complying with the verification process.
While NELFUND has provided its explanation, the controversy continues. Many in the South-East are demanding answers and seeking to understand why their region is being left behind.
It is crucial for NELFUND and the South-East institutions to work together to resolve this issue. By addressing the verification process and ensuring that all eligible students can access the loan program, NELFUND can help to promote educational opportunities and reduce financial burdens on students in the region.
