NELFUND Denies Suspending Student Upkeep Allowances, Warns Against Fake Notice

NELFUND has dismissed as fake reports claiming student upkeep allowances were suspended, assuring beneficiaries that approved tuition and maintenance payments remain ongoing nationwide.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has debunked reports circulating on social media claiming that the Federal Government has suspended upkeep allowance payments under the Student Loan Scheme for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The Fund described the document as fake and urged beneficiaries to disregard the misinformation.

In a statement on Saturday, NELFUND said the document, dated July 10 and falsely attributed to its Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, did not originate from the agency.

Oluwatuyi said neither the Federal Government nor NELFUND had announced or approved any suspension of upkeep allowance payments to eligible beneficiaries.

She explained that the fake document falsely claimed that funds allocated for May, June and subsequent months had not been released and suggested that the suspension of payments was temporary pending the release of additional allocations.

According to her, the claims are entirely false.

She maintained that both student loan and upkeep allowance disbursements are continuing in line with NELFUND’s mandate to provide financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in public tertiary institutions across the country.

Oluwatuyi urged students, parents and other stakeholders to ignore the fabricated notice and rely only on information published through NELFUND’s official communication channels.

She warned that fake publications and artificial intelligence-generated content are increasingly being used to spread misinformation capable of misleading the public and undermining confidence in government programmes.

The spokesperson advised members of the public to verify any information relating to the student loan scheme before sharing it on social media or other platforms.

She also reaffirmed NELFUND’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the uninterrupted implementation of the Federal Government’s student loan initiative.

According to her, all approved tuition fees and upkeep allowances will continue to be disbursed in line with established guidelines and operational procedures.

The clarification comes amid growing reliance on the student loan programme by thousands of students seeking financial support for higher education, with NELFUND assuring beneficiaries that there has been no change to the payment process or eligibility requirements.