The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has denied reports that the Federal Government has suspended the payment of monthly upkeep allowances to beneficiaries of the Student Loan Scheme, dismissing a viral social media notice claiming otherwise as fake.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the agency said neither the Federal Government nor NELFUND had approved any suspension of upkeep allowance payments for the 2025/2026 academic session, urging students and the public to disregard the misinformation.
The clarification comes after weeks of complaints from student beneficiaries over delays in receiving their monthly upkeep stipends, raising concern that the programme had been halted.
NELFUND said the document circulating online, allegedly issued by its Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, did not originate from the agency.
“The document being circulated is fake and did not emanate from NELFUND. Beneficiaries and the general public should disregard the misinformation and rely only on NELFUND’s official communication channels for authentic updates” – NELFUND
The agency stated that both tuition loans and monthly upkeep allowances are still being disbursed in line with its mandate to support eligible students in public tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
It also warned that fake publications and AI-generated content are increasingly being used to spread misinformation and undermine confidence in the student loan programme, advising students, parents and institutions to verify information through its official communication channels.
Despite the reassurance, many beneficiaries say they are yet to receive their upkeep allowances for several months.
Some students told local media that the delay has affected their ability to meet daily expenses, with others expressing concern about funding compulsory industrial training programmes.
