The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone C has issued a warning to tertiary institutions across the North-Central region against withholding refunds due to students whose tuition fees were paid before the disbursement of loans by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
The NANS also condemned what it described as arbitrary and exploitative charges imposed by some institutions.
Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday in Ilorin, the NANS Zone C Zonal Coordinator, Abiola Babatunde, said students who had already benefited from the Federal Government’s student loan scheme should not be subjected to additional financial hardship.
Babatunde stated that the association was concerned that some students who paid their tuition fees before receiving NELFUND disbursements had yet to receive refunds from their institutions, despite the schools having subsequently received payments from the Fund.
He said, “We are also deeply concerned about the delay in the refund of NELFUND payments by some institutions. Several students who benefited from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had already paid their tuition fees before the loan was disbursed, yet many institutions have continued to withhold their refunds for months.
“This is unacceptable and defeats the purpose of the intervention. NANS Zone C demands the immediate refund of all NELFUND payments due to affected students.”
The students’ body further warned tertiary institutions against using students’ refunds for administrative convenience, insisting that institutions must return the money to beneficiaries once their tuition obligations had been settled by NELFUND.
“Institutions must stop frustrating beneficiaries by unnecessarily delaying the repayment of funds that rightfully belong to students.
“We will not tolerate any attempt by institutions to use students’ NELFUND refunds for administrative convenience or any other purpose,” Babatunde said.
NANS Zone C’s position comes amid scrutiny of the implementation of the student loan scheme, with NELFUND previously warning institutions against delaying or refusing to refund students who paid their fees before the Fund settled the same obligations.
In July, NANS published the names of 39 tertiary institutions that had received NELFUND tuition payments on behalf of eligible students but had yet to refund students who had previously paid their fees.
Following complaints from affected beneficiaries, NELFUND management said that it was examining around 34 colleges for suspected inability to reimburse students. The Fund stated that it was collaborating with NANS, its internal auditors, and anti-corruption agencies on some of the instances.
NANS Zone C has encouraged tertiary institutions in Kwara, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory to evaluate their fee structures and eliminate charges that create undue financial strain on students.
The group stated that every student payment must be translated into comparable services, emphasizing the need of institutions providing efficient lecture halls, laboratories, dorms, healthcare facilities, and water and power.
NANS also criticized the imposition of what it described as excessive late-payment fees, unnecessary levies, and hidden charges by some tertiary institutions across the North-Central states.
“A student who could not pay school fees early because of genuine financial hardship should not be punished with another inflated payment simply because the deadline has passed,” Babatunde said.
He encouraged institutions in Kwara, Benue, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, and Nasarawa states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, to evaluate their fee structures and guarantee that students get value for every kobo paid.
The student population also demanded better welfare amenities, such as efficient lecture halls, well-equipped laboratories, adequate housing, healthcare, water, and electricity, as well as increased accountability from institutional administrators.
Concerning campus security, NANS Zone C urged the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Department of State Services, and other relevant agencies to tighten security around tertiary institutions and their host communities.
The union also set a two-week deadline for tertiary institutions in the zone that had not to hold Students’ Union Government elections, requesting that the electoral process begin and end within the time frame.
Babatunde warned that non-compliant institutions would face “legitimate and constitutional actions” from NANS Zone C.
