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The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has disclosed that some beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) mistakenly received their June and July monthly upkeep allowances twice due to a technical glitch involving the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIP) payment platform. The development came shortly after NELFUND began clearing outstanding upkeep payments to eligible students across the country. While acknowledging the error, NANS assured students that the duplicate payments were not intentional and resulted from a processing issue rather than a new government intervention.
NANS President Akinteye Babatunde advised students who received the duplicate payments not to spend the extra money recklessly. Instead, he urged them to save the additional funds, explaining that the excess could be treated as an advance against future monthly upkeep allowances if NELFUND later adjusts its records. He also reassured beneficiaries who were yet to receive their payments that the disbursement process is being carried out in batches and appealed for patience as outstanding payments continue to be processed.
As of the time of the announcement, NELFUND had not issued an official statement confirming the duplicate payments or outlining whether affected students would be required to refund the extra funds or have them deducted from subsequent allowances. The latest development follows weeks of complaints over delays in the payment of monthly upkeep stipends under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, with NANS maintaining that all eligible beneficiaries will receive their outstanding entitlements as the payment process continues.
