Nigerian students accross tertiary institutions have expressed disappointment and frustration over the decision of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to discontinue monthly upkeep disbursements outside the active academic session of their institutions.
NELFUND recently announced new guidelines tying upkeep payments strictly to the academic calendar of each institution. According to the directive, upkeep disbursements will cease immediately after an institution concludes its academic session.
This means students transitioning into a new academic year must reapply for the loan to be eligible for both institutional charges and upkeep.
While the Fund insists the move is to ensure accountability, transparency, and proper alignment with institutional calendars
Some students who spoke in interviews with LEADERSHIP, said the decision will worsen their financial struggles.
At the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM), a 400 level student, Cletus Tser, lamented that the new guideline contradict what is displaying on his portal as the total upkeep expect to be collected during his study.
“A lot of us depend on the upkeep loan to survive, but NELFUND is making things tougher. The money is a loan, not free. We know we will refund it, so why stop paying during semester breaks when we still have needs?
“I don’t have any issue with the policy, but please let the Fund ensure our dashboard reflects exactly what we got. What I am seeing there is over 300,000. I can’t pay back what I didn’t collect. It’s unfair.”
Also speaking, a student at Bayero University, Kano, who prefer anonymity, lamented the sudden policy shift.
According to him, “This is very bad. What about students who are still on campus for industrial training or teaching practice, but the school session has officially closed? Many have to travel for internships, how do you expect them to cope without the upkeep?
“During the break, some students are on SIWES or IT. Is this not part of school? NELFUND should stay true to its first promise instead of this idea. Some students haven’t even received a kobo since semester one, yet payments are being halted. Where’s the wisdom in that?”
For thousands of Nigerian students who rely on the loan to cover feeding, accommodation, and transport, however, the directive has become a new source of anxiety.
Many fear the interruption could push them into deeper financial hardship at a time when inflation and rising living costs are already biting hard.
LEADERSHIP report that the upkeep in NELFUND’s student loan scheme is the monthly living allowance given directly to students to help cover personal and day-to-day expenses while in school.
This stipend is usually about N20,000 per month and is separate from tuition fees, which are paid to institutions.
So far, NELFUND has disbursed more than N12 billion in upkeep allowances to student loan beneficiaries across the country.
