Fact-Check: False, NELFUND and UNIBEN Disown Circular on Repayment of Students’ Loans
BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim:
A user made a post on micro-blogging platform, X (formerly Twitter) claiming that NELFUND is demanding repayment of student loans before they (the students) leave university.
The claimant, identified as @dangbanamanager, attached a circular purportedly from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) to the post.
The circular, which was dated 23rd January, 2026 and titled UPDATE ON PROCEDURE FOR NELFUND LOAN SUBSCRIBERS TO REPAY THEIR LOAN, outlined guidelines for the repayment of the students’ loan.
FAKE
Photo Credit: UNIBEN Students’ Loan Repayment Circular /X
Verdict
Both NELFUND and UNIBEN have debunked the claim describing it as false.
Verification:
To verify the accuracy of this claim, FactCheckAfrica found that the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has disowned the circular.
The university, in a statement released last Saturday, described the document as fake and misleading. It said the alleged circular did not originate from the institution or any of its official channels. The university management urged NELFUND subscribers, members of the university community,y and the general public to disregard the document completely.
According to the university, no repayment guidelines have been issued by the NELFUND office or the Federal Government regarding the education loan scheme, contrary to claims contained in the circulating notice.
Similarly, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has debunked the report, describing the claims as false, misleading and capable of causing needless panic among students.
Photo Credit: NELFUND statement /X
In a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, NELFUND clarified that it has not issued any directive mandating students to repay their loans, contrary to claims circulating across social media and some media platforms. Signed by the Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the Fund reiterated its readiness to engage stakeholders and provide clarity whenever needed.
Conclusion:
It can be concluded from the evidence that the student loan repayment circular is false.
