CALABAR, CROSS RIVER STATE— The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has distanced itself from the growing controversy surrounding delayed tuition refunds at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
In a firm explanation issued on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the agency specified that the responsibility for repaying trainees who had currently paid their charges before the loan dispensation lies solely with the university administration.
The declaration follows a wave of frustration amongst UNICAL students who declared they are being “stranded” by the delay, despite the fund having remitted the tuition parts to the organization.
Reacting to inquiries relating to the deadlock, NELFUND’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, clarified that the company’s required ends as soon as the funds are successfully transferred to the institution’s accounts.
“It’s between them and their school. It has nothing to do with NELFUND,” Oluwatuyi stated in a terse interaction.
The explanation successfully puts the ball in the court of the University of Calabar management, which is charged with recognizing trainees who paid too much and processing their particular refunds.
Disappointment and Confusion on Campus
Affected students, speaking on the condition of privacy, explained a chaotic situation on campus.
Numerous recipients had actually supposedly gotten emergency situation loans or made significant family sacrifices to fulfill the initial tuition due dates, under the impression that the NELFUND intervention would supply immediate compensation.
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One trainee leader kept in mind that the hold-up is producing a financial crisis for indigent trainees who are now not able to repay the personal loans they utilized to cover their initial registration.
“Up until now, no one has actually come out to say they have actually received any refund, yet the school is saying that payments have actually been made,” the trainee regreted.
The University of Calabar management is under increasing pressure to release a confirmed list of recipients who have gotten refunds to douse the rising stress.
With NELFUND formally cleaning its hands of the hold-up, stakeholders are viewing to see if the organization will expedite its internal bursary procedures or deal with more trainee presentations.
Since Thursday, May 7, the UNICAL NELFUND Desk has actually not issued a formal schedule for the staying batches of refunds, leaving thousands of recipients in a state of financial unpredictability.