The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced a final reopening of its verification portal for a limited period to allow tertiary institutions yet to complete their student verification exercise to do so.

This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.

According to Oluwatuyi, the portal will be open from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14.

She explained that the extension aims to ensure that all eligible students are properly captured and verified by their respective institutions as part of the ongoing 2024/2025 NELFUND loan application process.

The statement reads in part, “This extension is intended to ensure that all eligible students are duly captured and verified by their respective institutions as part of the ongoing 2024/2025 NELFUND loan application process.

“Institutions are strongly advised to make full use of this final opportunity.

“Failure to complete the verification process within the stipulated period will result in the affected institutions forfeiting participation in the current loan cycle, a situation that will, regrettably, disadvantage their students who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the loan scheme.”

The fund also published a total of 203 institutions as defaulters, noting that this was done in the interest of transparency and accountability.

Oluwatuyi reiterated the Fund’s commitment to fostering equitable access to higher education through the efficient, transparent, and inclusive management of the scheme.