By Zailani Mustapha The Students' Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG-SW) has expressed concerns over the implementation of th...
By Zailani Mustapha
The Students' Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG-SW) has expressed concerns over the implementation of the Federal Government’s Student Loan Scheme in the northern region, citing significant disparities in the allocation of funds.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the group criticized the disbursement statistics released by the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), pointing out that only 96 tertiary institutions in the North were included out of the 234 institutions cleared for the first phase of disbursement.
According to the coalition, this number is disproportionately low compared to the actual number of federal and state institutions in the region. “For instance, only four out of ten public tertiary institutions in Zamfara State benefited, while Sokoto and Kano states saw similarly minimal coverage with just four institutions each,” stated Hassan Adamu, the National Coordinator of CNG-SW.
The group also alleged that the NELFUND portal has been riddled with technical issues, hampering students' access to the scheme. Describing the situation as “deliberate,” Adamu warned that these barriers risk exacerbating financial challenges for northern students, who already face significant economic hardship.
The coalition highlighted several issues with the scheme’s implementation, including variations between the amounts disbursed and actual tuition fees, delays in refunding tuition fees already paid by beneficiaries, and the potential for misuse of funds due to inefficient processes. “The delay in refund can give unpatriotic public servants room to embezzle the money. It is needless to remind us of how snakes and other animals were swallowing money years ago,” Adamu remarked pointedly.
A particularly troubling development, according to CNG-SW, is the alleged exploitation of the loan scheme by some tertiary institutions to justify tuition fee hikes for the 2024/2025 academic session. “The hike in tuition fees amidst current economic realities will be catastrophic, increasing dropout rates, which already stand at 60% in the North,” Adamu warned.
He added that many students have been forced to withdraw from their studies or miss academic activities due to the financial pressure caused by tuition deadlines.
The coalition called on NELFUND to expand its coverage to include all federal and state institutions in the North, stressing that equitable access to the scheme is essential. They also demanded that the loan application portal be made operational 24/7 and user-friendly and that funds be disbursed early to reduce pressure on students.
Institutions were urged to refund tuition fees to beneficiaries in full, or at least communicate clear reasons for partial refunds.
The coalition also demanded that plans to increase tuition fees be scrapped, describing such moves as exploitative and harmful to the scheme’s credibility. Additionally, they called on institutions to relax payment deadlines to accommodate delays in disbursements.
Adamu advised beneficiaries to focus on their studies and manage their upkeep allowances prudently. He emphasized that the CNG-SW would not tolerate any policies or practices that undermine the Student Loan Scheme or hinder students’ access to education, stating, “We will not tolerate policies that undermine the scheme’s purpose or hinder students’ access to education.”
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