Ignore fake newspaper graphic claiming Nigerian president Tinubu said student loan defaulters face life imprisonment
IN SHORT: A newspaper front page circulating online claims Nigerian president Bola Tinubu announced life imprisonment for students who fail to repay their education loans after graduation. But it is fake. The law does not prescribe life imprisonment for defaulters, and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund has dismissed the claim as false.
A newspaper front page circulating online bears the headline: "Tinubu: All students who fail to repay their loans after graduation will go to jail for life imprisonment."
Nigeria's student loan scheme provides eligible students in public tertiary institutions with interest-free loans to help pay for their education. The Nigeria Education Loan Fund (Nelfund) administers it.
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Beneficiaries begin repaying their loans after completing Nigeria's mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps programme and securing employment. Nelfund deducts 10% from their salaries.
The front page was shared here and here. (Note: See other instances at the end of this report.)
But did Tinubu announce life imprisonment for student loan defaulters? We checked.
Fake newspaper front page
The law governing Nigeria's student loan scheme contains no provision for life imprisonment. The Student Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act 2024 provides for income-based repayment and does not prescribe life imprisonment for defaulters.
On 6 September 2026, Nelfund dismissed the circulating front page as "fake news" on its official X account. It shared a copy of the front page stamped "FAKE".
The front page appears to be from a publication called "The Daily Tribune". But we found no evidence of a Nigerian newspaper by that name.
Several credible local news outlets have also reported that the front page was fabricated and did not originate from the government or a recognised newspaper.
False claims about the consequences of defaulting could create unnecessary fear about the scheme and discourage eligible students from applying for loans.
Other instances of the false claim can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
