CALABAR, CROSS RIVER STATE— The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has actually distanced itself from the growing debate surrounding delayed tuition refunds at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
In a firm information released on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the agency specified that the obligation for reimbursing trainees who had already paid their fees before the loan dispensation lies solely with the university administration.
The declaration follows a wave of disappointment among UNICAL trainees who declared they are being “stranded” by the delay, in spite of the fund having actually remitted the tuition components to the organization.
Responding to queries regarding the deadlock, NELFUND’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, clarified that the company’s mandate ends once the funds are effectively transferred to the institution’s accounts.
“It’s in between them and their school. It has absolutely nothing to do with NELFUND,” Oluwatuyi mentioned in a terse interaction.
The information efficiently places the ball in the court of the University of Calabar management, which is tasked with identifying trainees who overpaid and processing their respective refunds.
Frustration and Confusion on School
Affected students, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described a chaotic situation on campus.
Many recipients had apparently taken out emergency loans or made considerable household sacrifices to satisfy 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 developing a financial crisis for indigent trainees who are now not able to pay back the personal loans they utilized to cover their preliminary registration.
“Up until now, no one has actually come out to state they have gotten any refund, yet the school is saying that payments have been made,” the student lamented.
The University of Calabar management is under increasing pressure to publish a confirmed list of beneficiaries who have gotten refunds to splash the rising stress.
With NELFUND formally cleaning its hands of the delay, stakeholders are seeing to see if the organization will accelerate its internal bursary procedures or face more student demonstrations.
Since Thursday, May 7, the UNICAL NELFUND Desk has actually not provided a formal schedule for the remaining batches of refunds, leaving thousands of beneficiaries in a state of monetary unpredictability.