Many Nigerian students have raised concerns over delays in the disbursement of their upkeep allowance under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). A recurring complaint is that the money does not hit their bank accounts on the exact dates displayed on the NELFUND student portal.
While frustration is understandable, the reason behind this delay is largely procedural.
Scheduled Date vs. Actual Payment Date
The NELFUND portal usually displays a scheduled disbursement date, essentially a window of time when funds are released from the agency. However, this does not always translate into immediate credit alerts for students.
Once NELFUND initiates payment, the funds go through several steps:
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Institutional Reconciliation: Schools are required to verify and reconcile student details (matric number, account information, and eligibility status). Errors or mismatches can delay forwarding to banks.
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Bank Processing Time: Even after the funds reach commercial banks, processing, internal clearance, and inter-bank transfers can add a few days to the timeline.
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Batch Disbursement System: Payments are released in batches, not all at once. Some students may receive alerts earlier, while others in the same school or different institutions may wait longer.
The Upkeep Agreement
According to NELFUND’s stated terms, eligible students are to receive ₦20,000 per month for each semester as upkeep. However, many students on social media have accused the agency of not sticking strictly to this agreement.
Some claim they are owed up to two months’ allowance, while others allege that their colleagues in different institutions are receiving double payments within the same month. These disparities, students argue, reflect a lack of fairness and proper coordination in the payment structure.
What NELFUND Says
The agency has maintained in several updates that it is committed to timely and transparent disbursements. NELFUND also issues daily loan disbursement reports, showing the amounts released to institutions. However, the gap between official reports and actual alerts on students’ phones continues to fuel frustration.
Officials explain that once funds leave NELFUND’s accounts, delays are mostly due to schools and banks, not the agency itself. Students are therefore advised to always confirm with their institution’s bursary or student affairs unit before raising an alarm on missed payments.
Nigeria’s student loan scheme, launched to reduce the financial burden on undergraduates, is still in its early phase. Experts note that teething challenges such as inconsistent payment timelines, reconciliation delays, and lack of unified communication are to be expected.
However, student unions and activists insist that predictability is key. For many undergraduates, upkeep is their only source of feeding and transportation money. When it doesn’t arrive on time, survival becomes a daily struggle.
What Students Can Do
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Regularly check both the NELFUND portal and official communication from their school.
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Ensure their bank account details are correctly updated with the institution.
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Be patient within the disbursement window, but escalate complaints through official NELFUND or student union channels if the delay becomes excessive.
This article explains why payments don’t drop on the exact portal date, ties it into the agreement issues (₦20k monthly), and addresses the social media outcry over some students receiving multiple payments while others wait months.
