The impression in some quarters that higher institutions in South-East and South-South are not being considered for the student loan have provoked reaction from management of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND.
The impression arose from the list of beneficiaries of the loan scheme shared by NELFUND on its X handle.
In it, the agency said it had released the sum of N2.94bn to 19 universities for 27,667 students, with the list of the universities that were sent monies to, contains no schools from the geopolitical zones.
The leaving-out of the zones’ schools’ names drew the scheme and federal government wide criticism from netizens with an X user, @Donaldsplendo, tweeting, “Not surprised to see SE being neglected once again. No funds were allocated to students in UNIZIK, FUTO, MOUAU, and even the University of Nigeria (UNN). I’m pretty sure a lot of students in those schools applied for the loan just like every other Nigerian scholar One Nigeria una.”
Reacting to the nepotism allegation, NELFUND explained why it made no mention of schools in both areas.
In a statement shared via its verified X handle (@nelfund), the agency stated: “It’s important to clarify that geopolitical zones are not a factor in the disbursement process. NELFUND sent a verification list to every institution eligible for disbursement. Payments are being made to institutions that have responded to this verification.
“Unfortunately, we have not yet received any response from the institutions in the South-East. We urge these institutions to complete the verification process so that their students can benefit from the scheme.”
