By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr, has clarified why the Fund is unable to pay tuition fees for new students before they complete their registration or matriculation at tertiary institutions.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Sawyerr explained that advancing tuition payments for students who have not formally registered could expose the Fund to significant financial losses.
“If we pay fees for students who have not entered, what if they change their minds and don’t go to the schools anymore? We cannot just say because somebody has been admitted to a school, and we will pay the fees before registering or matriculating,” he said.
According to Sawyerr, such payments would amount to disbursing against intention, a practice that could be financially risky for the government.
“If we carry on like that, we could end up disbursing billions of naira, only to find out that they have dropped out, got admission to a school outside the country, gone to another school, or not doing that course again,” he added.
The Managing Director also identified challenges related to school admission processes, noting that students require a matriculation number to access NELFUND loans.
To address this, the Fund is exploring temporary measures with tertiary institutions, including the use of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration numbers as substitutes for matriculation numbers.
“There are many genuine students who have applied, and they need a matriculation number to be able to process their fees. The challenge is that they cannot get their matriculation number until they have matriculated, and they cannot matriculate until they have paid.
We are trying to work with the schools to see how those who have registered can use their JAMB registration number as a substitute,” he said.