The National Association of Nigerian Students has disclosed that some beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund have reportedly received their June and July upkeep allowances twice, days after the fund commenced payment of the outstanding allowances.

The development was raised by NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde on X on Friday, who attributed the duplicate payments to an alleged glitch involving the NIP payment platform.

Akinteye urged beneficiaries who received the payments twice to keep the additional funds, suggesting that the money could be adjusted against future upkeep payments.

He wrote, “To those of you who got NELFUND June & July twice, it was a glitch caused by NIP payment platform. NELFUND is not Father Christmas, so save the money very well, as that may be your next two months’ upkeep payment.”

However, there was no immediate official statement from NELFUND confirming the reported duplicate payments or explaining whether affected students would be required to refund the additional funds or have them deducted from future allowances.

PUNCH Online had reported that NELFUND commenced the payment of June and July upkeep allowances to student beneficiaries across the country.

The development was confirmed by the National Association of Nigerian Students, with several beneficiaries also sharing screenshots on X showing successful payment alerts.

In a statement, NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde, announced that the disbursement had begun and assured students that all outstanding backlogs would be cleared.

He said, “The payment of June and July NELFUND upkeep allowances has officially commenced.”

“As I assured you, every outstanding backlog will be paid. We remain committed to ensuring that no eligible Nigerian student is left behind,” Babatunde added.

The NANS president urged beneficiaries who were yet to receive their allowances not to panic, explaining that the payments were being made in batches.

“To all beneficiaries, I urge you to remain patient as payments are processed. If you have not received yours yet, kindly stay calm, as disbursements are being made in batches,” he said.

“We are here for you, always, and we will continue to stand firmly in defence of the welfare and interests of Nigerian students,” he added.

The development comes after weeks of complaints from students over delays in the payment of monthly upkeep allowances under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.

The NELFUND upkeep allowance provides monthly financial support to eligible students of tertiary institutions, in addition to tuition payments made directly to their institutions.

While several students have confirmed receiving their June and July allowances, the reported duplicate payments and the alleged NIP glitch have yet to be officially explained by NELFUND.