A member of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund board representing students, Umar Farouk Lawal, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to provide evidence supporting his claim that President Bola Tinubu directed tertiary institutions to increase tuition fees.

Lawal was reacting to Atiku’s reported promise to review NELFUND if elected president under the African Democratic Congress.

He said there had been no directive from President Tinubu ordering federal or state-owned tertiary institutions to increase tuition fees.

Lawal challenged Atiku, his team and heads of tertiary institutions across the country to produce any presidential directive, circular, memo, letter or official document supporting the allegation.

He said political debates on education should be based on facts and verifiable evidence, particularly where claims could influence public perception of policies affecting Nigerian students.

The NELFUND board member also rejected the description of the student loan scheme as simply a government response to increases in school fees.

He described NELFUND as a broader intervention designed to expand access to tertiary education and reduce financial pressure on students and their families.

Lawal said more than 1.38 million students had benefited from NELFUND as of April 2026, with over N242 billion disbursed for tuition and upkeep support.

He further questioned what aspects of NELFUND Atiku intended to review and how any proposed alternative would improve the existing support available to students.

Lawal also raised questions over reports that Atiku’s proposed reforms could include debt forgiveness for qualifying NELFUND beneficiaries, asking how such a policy would be funded without threatening the sustainability of the scheme.

He urged politicians to avoid narratives that could undermine programmes providing support to Nigerian students without credible evidence.