NANS meets Nasarawa varsity over NELFUND refund

The National Association of Nigerian Students, North-Central Axis, has engaged the management of the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, over complaints by students concerning delays in the repayment of NELFUND refunds and alleged deductions from beneficiaries’ payments.

The students reportedly complained that they had yet to receive their refunds despite the passage of time, while some beneficiaries allegedly had between N12,000 and N22,500 deducted from their payments.

The Zonal Coordinator of NANS Zone C, Abiola Babatunde, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the intervention followed a petition by affected students.

Babatunde said the students had also raised concerns over the lack of transparency in the refund process, stressing that the development could not be allowed to persist.

“Students deserve full transparency and prompt payment of funds meant for them,” he said.

The NANS coordinator said the association had consequently engaged the university management to seek clarification and ensure that affected students received their money.

During the engagement, the university Registrar, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, assured the students’ body that the institution had commenced the disbursement of NELFUND refunds to beneficiaries.

The Registrar also assured the NANS delegation that the management was working to ensure that all eligible students received their refunds without further delay.

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According to Babatunde, the university management also agreed to address the concerns raised over the alleged deductions from some beneficiaries’ payments.

He said NANS Zone C would continue to monitor the process until all eligible students received their refunds.

“We welcome the commitment of the FULAFIA management and will continue to monitor the repayment process until every eligible beneficiary receives their rightful refund,” Babatunde said.

He added, “Funds provided through NELFUND belong to students and must be disbursed transparently, promptly and without unjustifiable deductions or administrative bottlenecks.”

Babatunde said the association would continue to engage tertiary institutions across the North-Central region to ensure accountability in the implementation of the NELFUND scheme.

“The welfare and financial rights of Nigerian students remain non-negotiable,” he said, adding that NANS would continue to engage institutions to ensure that students received the funds meant for them.

The association urged the university management to ensure that the refund process was concluded promptly and that any deductions found to be unjustified were addressed.