UNICAL says NANS’ claim is inaccurate, revealing that 1,089 students have received NELFUND refunds while thousands of new applications await processing.
The University of Calabar (UNICAL) has responded to recent allegations by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), insisting that it has not abandoned its responsibility to refund students who paid their tuition fees before receiving support through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The institution maintained that contrary to claims circulating in a publication released by NANS, the refund exercise is actively ongoing, with more than a thousand students already reimbursed.
University officials described the report as an inaccurate representation of the situation, stressing that substantial progress has been made since the refund process began.
The controversy followed the publication of a list by NANS naming 39 tertiary institutions it alleged were yet to refund students who had initially settled their tuition fees before NELFUND later disbursed funds on their behalf.
The list quickly attracted attention across the country, prompting questions from students and parents eager to know the status of their refunds.
UNICAL, however, says its inclusion among the listed institutions does not reflect the true state of affairs.
Providing clarification on behalf of the university, the institution’s NELFUND Desk Officer, Mrs. Elizabeth Otu Effiwatt, explained that refund payments have been progressing steadily in phases to ensure accuracy and transparency throughout the exercise.
According to her, the university has successfully completed nine separate batches of reimbursements, resulting in 1,089 students receiving refunds for tuition fees they had previously paid before their NELFUND loans were processed.
She noted that the refund exercise involves extensive verification procedures to ensure that only qualified beneficiaries receive payments, adding that this explains why refunds are carried out in stages rather than all at once.
Effiwatt also highlighted the level of participation by UNICAL students in the Federal Government’s student loan initiative. She disclosed that more than 3,000 students have already benefited from the NELFUND programme to finance their education.
In addition, she revealed that the university has received a total of N979,891,400 from NELFUND on behalf of 10,071 students across different faculties, departments and academic programmes.
The university official explained that the increasing number of beneficiaries made it necessary to strengthen the institution’s refund administration process.
To improve efficiency, UNICAL has migrated from a largely manual system to a technology-driven digital platform developed by the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
She explained that the online portal was designed after the university reviewed operational challenges encountered during the initial implementation of the refund exercise.
Lessons learned from the earlier process helped shape a system capable of handling applications more effectively while reducing delays associated with manual processing.
According to Effiwatt, the automated portal improves documentation, verification and payment coordination, while also minimizing administrative bottlenecks that previously slowed down the reimbursement process.
She said the technology-based platform is expected to deliver faster services, improve accountability and provide students with a more transparent experience throughout the refund exercise.
The university further disclosed that the newly introduced portal has already recorded 2,090 refund applications, all of which are currently undergoing verification and processing.
Officials assured students that every valid application submitted through the platform will receive due attention and that payments will continue as verification is completed.
UNICAL stressed that its objective is to ensure that every eligible beneficiary under the NELFUND programme receives the refund due to them in accordance with approved procedures.
The management also appealed to students, parents and members of the public to rely on official information released by the university regarding the refund exercise rather than unverified reports capable of creating unnecessary anxiety.
It reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and compliance with the implementation framework established for the Federal Government’s education loan programme.
The NELFUND initiative was introduced to expand access to higher education by providing interest-free loans to qualified students in public tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
In situations where students had already paid their tuition fees before their loan applications were approved, institutions are expected to refund such payments after receiving corresponding disbursements from the fund.
As implementation of the programme continues nationwide, universities are increasingly embracing digital systems to manage beneficiary records, verify payments and speed up refund processing.
For the University of Calabar, management believes the introduction of an automated refund portal represents a significant step towards improving service delivery and ensuring that beneficiaries receive their reimbursements with greater efficiency.
The institution reiterated that refund payments remain ongoing and pledged to continue working until all verified beneficiaries have been fully reimbursed.
It expressed confidence that the upgraded system would further strengthen the integrity of the process while making future refund exercises more seamless for students.
