The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has issued a strong warning to tertiary institutions across the country, declaring that any school found demanding additional payments from students after receiving registration fees from the fund will be considered to have committed a criminal offence.
During a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja with heads of Colleges of Education, Agriculture, Health, and Nursing, NELFUND Managing Director stated that over 293,000 students in 303 institutions have already had their registration fees paid in full by the fund. He emphasized that students must be granted full access to education services—including lectures, classes, tutorials, and examinations—without being asked for additional payments.
He made it clear that once NELFUND settles the institutional charges, schools have no justification to request further payments from students. “We paid the whole amount,” he said. “We do not want students to put their hands in their pockets and bring out money.”
The managing director stressed that if any institution is found to have already received money from NELFUND and still demands payment from students, it would be treated as a serious administrative and criminal matter. While the fund itself lacks the legal power to punish erring school officials, he said such cases will be escalated to the Minister of Education and relevant law enforcement agencies.
Sawyer also clarified that in cases where students had paid before NELFUND disbursed funds mid-academic cycle, those situations are understood. However, he warned that demanding money after receiving payment from the fund amounts to a criminal act.
He insisted that students should not be punished for refusing to make such payments, stating that schools involved in such malpractice will be held accountable. “We can’t punish the students for refusing to pay in the name of sanctioning the school,” he said. “Institutions that are erring are the ones that will face the music.”
He further noted that the Minister of Education is committed to ensuring that the education support initiative launched under President Bola Tinubu’s administration is not undermined by institutions acting out of selfish interest.
Investigations into these illegal practices are already underway. Panels have been set up by NELFUND, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Ministry of Education to look into reported cases and ensure strict accountability.
