The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has begun disbursing June and July upkeep allowances to eligible student beneficiaries across the country, bringing relief to thousands of students who had been waiting for the outstanding payments.
With the latest disbursement, students are receiving N40,000 covering the two outstanding months, coming shortly after many beneficiaries received their N20,000 May upkeep allowance within the last two weeks.
The news has sparked excitement across campuses nationwide, with beneficiaries sharing bank alerts on social media and expressing relief after months of uncertainty.
Students from universities, polytechnics and colleges of education described the payment as a timely intervention that would help them cover transportation, feeding, study materials and other pressing personal needs.
Many praised President Bola Tinubu for introducing the student loan programme, saying it has eased the financial burden on parents and guardians while helping students remain focused on their studies.
However, not everyone was without complaint. A number of beneficiaries took to social media to express frustration over the prolonged delays that preceded the payment, with some saying the wait left them struggling to meet basic daily needs.
An X user, Heis MusteeB, captured the mood of many students when he wrote: “Please upkeep should be the main focus now. Imagine students on regular programme that cannot work while studying because lectures alone takes 2/3 of hours on each day, finding it difficult to study because of financial constraints. Things are hard on students pls!”
Others called on NELFUND to establish a more predictable payment schedule and improve communication with beneficiaries whenever delays occur.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) responded by assuring students that all outstanding backlogs would be cleared as disbursements continue in batches.
NANS President, Akinteye Afeez, said the student body had received assurances that no eligible beneficiary would be left behind.
“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 appealed to students yet to receive their allowances to remain calm and patient, noting that payments are being processed in batches.
Digital Operations Manager at The Students Forum Nigeria.
