The management of the University of Ilorin Wednesday debunked newspaper report (not Blueprint) which claimed that the institution and some others were involved in illegal deductions and attendant exploitation of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme.
A statement by the university’s director, Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun, made available to journalists in Ilorin said it believed that lumping the University of Ilorin with others allegedly involved in such dealings was a mistake by the newspaper.
“We wish to dissociate the University of Ilorin from involvement in any shady deal in the administration of NELFUND disbursements as it concerns our students. We, therefore, believe very honestly that the lumping of our university with others is a mistake by the newspaper, especially as the reporter never sought clarification from us before labeling us negatively. For the purpose of clarity, we would like to state as follows:
“We have received disbursements thrice from NELFUND and our students are paid promptly on receipt;
“In the first tranche, which is for the 2022/2023 session, we received N52, 897,000 for 802 students, all of whom have been fully refunded with the amount approved for them by NELFUND;
“The second tranche of N219, 407, 370 was for 2,171 beneficiaries. Students in this category did not pay school charges. They were programmed for ‘non-payment’ so that they could proceed with their online registration when it was clear that NELFUND disbursement would not arrive before the close of the registration exercise. When disbursement was eventually made and payment advice sent, it was discovered that 1,850 of the beneficiaries had a shortfall of N2, 500 each, based on expected school charges.
“The third tranche of N679, 020, 930 was for 7, 273 students. Payment to batch 1 of this category (1, 907 students), whose details have been confirmed for full refund, is ongoing.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the University of Ilorin does not levy any student. As a responsible corporate citizen and one that is well known for its zero tolerance for any illegality, we do not engage in any shady deal to the detriment of our students, whom we hold very dearly,” Akogun said.
