South-East Institutions Absent As NELFUND Disburses Student Loan Across Five Geopolitical Zones

In the first phase of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) disbursement, tertiary institutions in the South-East region were notably absent from the list of beneficiary schools.

The circular released by NELFUND detailed that over N2.9 billion has been approved and distributed in loans aimed at covering tuition fees for more than 27,000 students.

Despite this substantial financial support reaching 19 institutions, it is noteworthy that none of these schools are located in the South-East. This exclusion stands out as all other five geopolitical zones in the country have at least one institution included in the list of beneficiaries.

Dtruth Insights reports that an X user, Santiago Leo, tweeting as #Donaldsplendo, observed that none of the institutions from the country’s South- East region was listed as part of the 19 beneficiaries, as disclosed by NELFUND on Friday.

Donaldsplendo tweeted, “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 (sic).”

In response, the Fund, tweeting as #NELFUND, wrote, “Thank you for your concern. It is 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.”