President Bola Tinubu’s administration has announced that individuals convicted of certificate forgery, drug offenses, and involvement in cult activities are ineligible for the federal government’s student loan scheme.
This information was revealed by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the body responsible for administering the student loan program, through its “frequently asked questions” section on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday.
According to NELFUND, applications from citizens who have been convicted of fraud, forgery, drug offenses, cultism, felony, or any crimes involving dishonesty will be rejected.
Additionally, individuals who have defaulted on previous loans from any licensed financial institution or those who have been found guilty of submitting fake or fraudulent documents and were dismissed for exam malpractices by any school authority will also have their applications denied.
On Friday, NELFUND opened the application portal for the first phase of the student loan scheme, which is available to students attending federal institutions across Nigeria.
This announcement comes despite President Tinubu himself having a controversial history marked by allegations of academic forgery, identity theft, and narcotics trafficking.
These allegations surfaced before, during, and after the 2023 presidential election, leading to legal challenges that escalated from the election petitions tribunal to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Nonetheless, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Mr. Tinubu was fit to lead the country, despite the serious allegations and evidence against him.
