NELFUND denies suspending student upkeep allowances

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has dismissed reports claiming it suspended the payment of upkeep allowances to beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s Student Loan Scheme for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The Fund described a document circulating on social media announcing the alleged suspension as fake, insisting it did not originate from the agency.

In a statement on Saturday, NELFUND’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, said neither the Federal Government nor the Fund had approved or announced any suspension of upkeep allowance payments.

She explained that the viral document, dated July 10 and bearing her name, was fabricated and should be disregarded by students and the general public.

According to Oluwatuyi, the fake notice falsely claimed that funds for May, June and subsequent months had not been released and that upkeep payments had been temporarily suspended pending the receipt of allocations.

She stressed that both tuition and upkeep disbursements to eligible beneficiaries were continuing in line with NELFUND’s mandate to provide financial support to students in public tertiary institutions across the country.

The spokesperson urged students, parents and school authorities to rely only on information released through the Fund’s official communication channels, warning that fake documents and AI-generated content were increasingly being used to spread misinformation.

She reaffirmed NELFUND’s commitment to transparency and accountability, assuring eligible beneficiaries that approved tuition and upkeep allowances would continue to be paid in accordance with established guidelines.