The Federal Ministry of Education has launched an investigation into alleged unauthorized deductions from students’ Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) by some universities. Director, Press & Public Relations, Borio Folasade, in a statement, said the Ministry received a report published by The Guardian Newspaper on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, alleging some Nigerian universities to have made unauthorized deductions from funds disbursed under the NELFund scheme.

Folasade quoted the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, as describing the allegations as “very disturbing and extremely concerning”. Alausa emphasized that any unauthorized deductions from student loans would constitute a gross violation of public trust and a betrayal of the government’s commitment to equitable access to education.

The Ministry is convening an urgent meeting on May 6, 2025, with the Vice Chancellors of the affected universities and the Managing Director of NELFund to investigate the matter and ensure full accountability. Alausa said the Ministry has a zero-tolerance policy toward financial malpractice in the education sector.

Alausa further emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu established NELFund to expand students’ access to high-quality education and support universities financially in a legal and sustainable way. “Any attempt to exploit this fund is unacceptable and contradicts the President’s vision for inclusive human capital development,” Folasade quoted Alausa as saying.