By Gbayesola Samuel

Claim

A viral notice claims that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has temporarily delayed the payment of students’ upkeep allowances because the funds allocated to the scheme by the Federal Government have been exhausted.

Verdict

False. NELFUND has not issued any official statement announcing that upkeep payments have been suspended due to a shortage or exhaustion of funds. The circulating notice did not originate from any of the agency’s verified communication channels.

Full Text

A press release titled “NELFUND CLARIFIES STUDENT UPKEEP PAYMENT” is currently circulating online, particularly across student-focused WhatsApp groups.

The notice claims that the delay in paying students’ upkeep allowances is due to the exhaustion of funds allocated by the Federal Government for the programme.

According to the viral notice:

“The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) wishes to inform all students and the general public that the delay in the payment of student upkeep allowance is due to the exhaustion of the funds allocated by the Federal Government for the programme.”

The circular, dated Friday, July 5, 2026, further states that NELFUND is awaiting the release of additional funds from the Accountant-General of the Federation before payments can resume.

It also claims that:

• Upkeep payments have been postponed until additional funds are released.
• The postponement is not the fault of NELFUND or its implementing partners.
• All qualified students will receive their allowances once funds become available.
• Students should remain patient and await further updates through official NELFUND channels.

This fact-check examines whether NELFUND officially issued the notice.

Verification

IndyPress reviewed NELFUND’s official communication channels, including its website and verified social media accounts.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no statement announcing the suspension of upkeep payments because of exhausted government funding.

The agency’s most recent update on its verified X account was a disbursement announcement for students of Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, Ondo State, published on July 1, 2026. Earlier communications from the agency also addressed issues surrounding alleged unethical practices in institutional refund processes, but none mentioned a funding shortage.

Although students have continued to report delays in receiving upkeep allowances, IndyPress found no evidence that NELFUND attributed the delays to the exhaustion of government funds.

The viral notice also closely imitates the formatting and writing style commonly used in NELFUND’s official press releases to make them appear authentic.

Available figures previously published by NELFUND show that as of May 5, 2026, the agency had recorded:

• 301 institutions with beneficiaries;
• ₦183.91 billion paid as institutional fees;
• 1,586,921 student beneficiaries; and
• ₦98.29 billion disbursed as upkeep allowances.

However, these figures do not support the claim that the programme has run out of funds or that payments have been officially suspended.

Furthermore, recent reports, including coverage following interventions by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), discussed payment delays but did not report any official confirmation from NELFUND that funding had been exhausted.

Notably, the circulating notice was not published on any of NELFUND’s verified communication platforms.

The agency’s official website, student portal, and social media pages contain no announcement stating that upkeep payments have been suspended because government funds have been exhausted.

This is not the first time such misinformation has circulated. In May 2026, IndyPress debunked a similar fake notice members of the public advised the public to rely only on information released through its verified platforms.

Official NELFUND Channels

• Website: nelf.gov.ng
• Student Portal: portal.nelf.gov.ng
• Verified social media accounts: @NELFUND (X, Instagram and Facebook)

Conclusion

The claim that NELFUND delayed students’ upkeep payments because the funds allocated to the programme have been exhausted is false.

While some beneficiaries have experienced delays in receiving their upkeep allowances, there is no official evidence that NELFUND has suspended payments due to a shortage of funds. The viral notice was not published through any of the agency’s verified communication channels and contains claims that cannot be substantiated by official records.

Members of the public are advised to disregard the circulating notice and rely solely on information released through NELFUND’s official communication channels.