The University of Calabar(Unical) has debunked reports listing it among institutions yet to refund students under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund( NELFUND), stating that refunds are ongoing and have already been done in nine batches covering 1,089 students.
The National Association of Nigerian Students( NANS) had released a list of 39 tertiary institutions it alleged were yet to refund students who paid tuition fees before receiving NELFUND disbursements.
ALSO READ:Why More Than 2,000 UNICAL Students Are Still Waiting for NELFUND Refunds
But the University of Calabar NELFUND Desk Officer, Mrs. Elizabeth Otu Effiwatt, said the claim does not reflect the reality at UNICAL.
According to her, over 3,000 students have used the NELFUND loan to pay fees, and the University has so far received a total of N979,891,400.00 for 10,071 students across various departments.
She said out of this number, 1,089 students who had already paid their fees before accessing the NELFUND loan have been refunded, while the institution is still working to process refunds for others who have applied.
Mrs. Effiwatt explained that while the initial refund process was manual, the University has now deployed an automated portal through the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology( ICT) to digitize the entire workflow.
The portal, she said, incorporates validation mechanisms and system controls to ensure only eligible requests are processed while maintaining transparency, accountability and efficiency.
“The system was designed based on operational experiences and challenges encountered in administering NELFUND refunds.
This approach ensures the portal addresses identified bottlenecks and provides a more efficient and technology-driven process,” she said.
She further disclosed that 2,090 refund applications have already been received on the new portal and will be paid, noting that this demonstrates the speed and effectiveness of the new system.
The University urged students and stakeholders to disregard the impression that UNICAL has not been refunding beneficiaries, and reaffirmed its commitment to prompt payment to all eligible students under the scheme.
#Public Relations Unit, University of Calabar
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