The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has as of February 3, disbursed a total of N20,074,050,000 for institutional fees, benefiting no fewer than 192,906 students across various tertiary institutions in the country.
This is contained in a statement by Akintunde Sawyerr, Managing Director, NELFUND, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
Sawyerr also disclosed that the fund had so far received loan applications from no fewer than 364,042 students.
He added that about 169,114 students had also so far benefitted from the NELFUND’s monthly stipends disbursement, with N12,818,960,000 disbursed and each student receiving N20,000.
“We appreciate the unwavering support of President Bola Tinubu in making higher education accessible to all deserving Nigerian students.
“NELFUND remains committed to transparency and efficiency in managing the student loan scheme and will continue to provide accurate updates as disbursements progress.”
Meanwhile, the Personal Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Constituency Affairs, Kadijat Kareem, has called on governors, community leaders and stakeholders to motivate students to engage more actively with the student loan scheme.
Kareem made the appeal during a town hall meeting and engagement with critical stakeholders in Oyo State, held at Koltol Hotel, Ikolaba, in Ibadan, the state capital on Sunday.
The federal government launched a students’ loan scheme last year but the programme has witnessed low registration from students in the South West region.
Highlighting the low participation rates in the region compared to other regions, she said, “The turnout for the federal government’s student loan in the South West is quite poor compared to other areas which are benefiting significantly,” she noted.
Kareem encouraged families to support youths in leveraging this opportunity, stating, “This is a student loan that doesn’t require collateral; all you need is a letter of admission.”
In her remarks, Oyo State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Wasilat Adegoke, highlighted Governor Seyi Makinde’s consistent support for youth initiatives.
The Amirat, Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Dr Latifat Dairo, in her remarks, lamented the dilapidated condition of the Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso road, calling on the government to address the issue and avert the frequent deaths on the road.
She also urged the FG to give quick attention to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, saying the facility is fast becoming obsolete due to lack of basic amenities such as water, power and medical personnel.
The presidential aide later visited sites of federal government abandoned projects in the state. Some of the project sites visited included the abandoned Youth development centre located at Adehun Onlila along Muslim Road, Oluyole local government.
The project was facilitated by a federal lawmaker but was abandoned after he lost his bid to return to the House of Representatives.
Another site visited was the Federal Maternity Centre, Ifelodun/ Ogundeyi LCDA, in Oluyole LGA facilitated by Hon. Samson Olugbemi about eight years ago when he was a member of the House of Representatives.
