NANS reports duplicate NELFUND upkeep payments
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) says some beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) have reportedly received their June and July upkeep allowances twice, attributing the duplicate payments to a technical glitch on the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Instant Payment (NIP) platform.
NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed the development in a post on X on Friday, advising affected students to retain the extra funds as they could be treated as advance payments for future upkeep allowances.
Nkereuwem Effiong
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) says some beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) have reportedly received their June and July upkeep allowances twice, attributing the duplicate payments to a technical glitch on the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Instant Payment (NIP) platform.
NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed the development in a post on X on Friday, advising affected students to retain the extra funds as they could be treated as advance payments for future upkeep allowances.
“To those of you who got NELFUND June and July twice, it was a glitch caused by the NIP payment platform. NELFUND is not Father Christmas, so save the money very well, as that may be your next two months’ upkeep payment,” he wrote.
However, NELFUND had not issued an official statement as of the time of filing this report to confirm the duplicate payments, explain the cause of the glitch or clarify whether the excess payments would be recovered or deducted from future allowances.
The development comes days after NELFUND commenced payment of the outstanding June and July upkeep allowances to eligible student beneficiaries nationwide.
Earlier, Babatunde had announced the commencement of the disbursement, assuring students that all outstanding upkeep arrears would be cleared.
“The payment of June and July NELFUND upkeep allowances has officially commenced.
“As I assured you, every outstanding backlog will be paid. We remain committed to ensuring that no eligible Nigerian student is left behind,” he said.
He also appealed to students who had yet to receive their allowances to remain patient, noting that the payments were being processed in batches.
“If you have not received yours yet, kindly stay calm, as disbursements are being made in batches. We will continue to stand firmly in defence of the welfare and interests of Nigerian students,” he added.
The payment follows weeks of complaints by students over delays in the disbursement of monthly upkeep allowances under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
Under the NELFUND programme, eligible students receive monthly upkeep allowances, while tuition fees are paid directly to their institutions.
