Fake Student Loan Portal Sparks Security Alert as NELFUND Warns Students, Parents

In a stern public advisory released Monday, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) raised alarm over a fraudulent student loan portal being circulated online, warning that unsuspecting applicants could be victims of digital fraud and identity theft.

The scam, which falsely claims to be linked to a directive by President Bola Tinubu to reopen the NELFUND student loan portal, is fronted by a deceptive website — https://nelfund-student-loan-2025.po-rt-al.com/NELFUND/. According to NELFUND’s Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, this portal is entirely fake and not affiliated with the Federal Government or any authorised education finance programme.

“We wish to categorically state that this website is FAKE, and the information contained in the message is false and misleading,” Oluwatuyi stated.

Implications for Students and the Education Ecosystem

This fake portal crisis exposes a growing cybersecurity challenge in Nigeria’s expanding digital public service landscape, particularly in areas like financial inclusion, education access, and e-governance. The emergence of such schemes preys on the desperation and digital vulnerability of thousands of Nigerian students and families seeking government-backed financial support for education.

The NELFUND platform, launched as a flagship initiative under President Tinubu’s administration, aims to democratise access to tertiary education through interest-free loans. But this scam threatens to undermine public confidence in the process, especially in the early phases of rollout.

What This Means for Students and Families

For students already grappling with soaring school fees and tough economic realities, the temptation to act on such misleading links can be high. Many applicants may not be digitally literate or cautious enough to distinguish official portals from fakes. Hence, NELFUND’s reminder is both timely and critical:

• Official portal: https://nelf.gov.ng
  
• Verified channels:
  
  • X (formerly Twitter): @nelfund
    
  • Instagram: @nelfund
    
  • Facebook & LinkedIn: Nigerian Education Loan Fund – NELFUND
    
  • Report scams: [email protected]
    

Students, parents, and guardians are strongly advised to avoid clicking on unofficial links, sharing personal information, or engaging in any financial transaction outside the verified NELFUND ecosystem.

Policy and Digital Governance Takeaways

This incident serves as a critical wake-up call for policymakers and digital administrators. As public services increasingly move online, cyber criminals are also innovating — often faster than governments can react.

There is an urgent need for:

• Increased cybersecurity monitoring of federal and state-backed service portals.
  
• Public awareness campaigns focused on digital literacy and scam prevention.
  
• Multi-agency collaboration between NELFUND, NITDA, NCC, and security agencies to clamp down on cyber fraud targeting vulnerable citizens.
  

Conclusion

As Nigeria pushes forward with education finance reforms and digital transformation in public service delivery, the integrity and security of online platforms will be essential to ensure trust and access. The NELFUND scam may be an isolated case, but it highlights a broader systemic risk that demands strategic action — combining cybersecurity infrastructure with robust public engagement.