The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has responded to concerns about alleged discrimination in the distribution of student loans, asserting that the process is based on eligibility and not swayed by geopolitical considerations.
This response followed an observation by X user Santiago Leo, known as #Donaldsplendo, who highlighted that none of the institutions from Nigeria’s South-East region were included among the 19 beneficiaries of the recent loan disbursements.
NELFUND, the Federal Government agency tasked with managing loan requests, grants, disbursements, and recoveries, had recently announced the disbursement of N2.9 billion in student loans to 27,667 students across 19 institutions nationwide.
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In his tweet, #Donaldsplendo expressed dissatisfaction, suggesting that institutions in the South-East, including UNIZIK, FUTO, MOUAU, and the University of Nigeria (UNN), were overlooked despite likely having applied for the loans.
In response, NELFUND clarified that the omission of South-Eastern institutions from the list of beneficiaries was not due to any form of neglect.
“Thank you for your concern. It is important to clarify that geopolitical zones are not a factor in the disbursement process,” the Fund tweeted.
NELFUND further explained that payments were made only to institutions that had responded to a verification list sent out earlier.
“NELFUND sent a verification list to every institution eligible for disbursement. Payments are being made to institutions that have responded to this verification,” they stated.
The Fund encouraged South-Eastern institutions to complete the verification process so their students could also benefit from the loan scheme, noting that the delay in disbursement to these institutions was due to their lack of response.
