By EDITH TSOKAR

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has dismissed as fake a social media document claiming that upkeep allowances under the Federal Government’s Student Loan Scheme for the 2025/2026 academic session were suspended.

The Fund said the document, dated July 10 and attributed to its Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, did not originate from NELFUND and should be disregarded.

Oluwatuyi described the document as fake and urged beneficiaries and the general public to disregard the misinformation and rely only on its official communication channels for authentic updates.

She said neither the federal hovernment nor NELFUND had approved or announced the suspension of upkeep allowance payments to eligible beneficiaries.

She said the document further alleged that funds allocated for May, June and subsequent months had not been released, insisting the suspension was temporary and promising payments after outstanding allocations were received.

She explained that the student loan and upkeep allowance disbursements were continuing in line with its mandate to provide financial support to eligible students in public tertiary institutions nationwide.

Oluwatuyi urged beneficiaries to disregard the fake document, warning that fabricated publications and AI-generated content were increasingly being used to spread misinformation and erode public trust.

She advised students, parents, institutions and the public to verify information relating to the student loan scheme through NELFUND’s official communication channels before sharing it.

She reaffirmed the Fund’s commitment to transparency and accountability, assuring eligible beneficiaries that approved tuition and upkeep disbursements would continue in accordance with established guidelines. (NAN)

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