By Edwin Philip, Lafia
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Dr Akintunde Sawyerr, has said that 850,000 individual Nigerians have benefited from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s student loan scheme, with more than one million loan applications received and N303 billion disbursed within two years.
The NELFUND managing director disclosed this on Friday at the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, during the Renewed Hope Students Leaders Engagement and Digital Acceleration Programme for the North Central Zone.
Addressing participants, Sawyerr explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, for the first time in the history of the country, taken the financial burden of education off the shoulders of parents and students by ensuring that nobody misses the opportunity to acquire education because of lack of funds or sponsors.
He said, “The President has recognised this and he said we cannot let young people just be roaming around the street for any reason, not because they don’t want to learn, but because they don’t have money or they don’t come from rich homes. The President said that is not acceptable.”
He added: “He has deployed this programme known as NELFUND to ensure that if you want to get an education and harness your potential to be a great citizen, you must not be prevented from getting that opportunity simply because you come from a poor home.”
The NELFUND boss charged students from the North Central region to key into the programme, stressing that applicants do not need to know anybody to access the loan, as all the information required to apply is available online.
“The President has made money available. Just make sure you are qualified for it. The system he has allowed us to put in place is digital-based. If you want to get this loan, you don’t need to know anybody. It doesn’t matter who I am; you don’t need to know me, you don’t need to have my number, you don’t need to connect to me.
“You go online and put in specific pieces of information that confirm that you qualify.
“Your name, your BVN, your matriculation number, your JAMB registration number and date of birth. Make sure you are in a school that is approved, a government tertiary institution,” he said.
He, however, appreciated the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Comrade Asefon Sunday, for working tirelessly to drive the process and serve as a bridge between students and the government by ensuring that the mandate of NELFUND is achieved.
On his part, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, represented by the Director of University Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Kareem Olawale Lateef, said the student loan scheme reflected the administration’s commitment to investing in Nigerian students and preparing them for leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship and the digital economy.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda recognises that the future of our nation depends on the quality, capacity and resilience of its young people. As a student, you are not only a leader of tomorrow, but an active partner in nation-building,” he said.
In his address, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Comrade Asefon Sunday, charged student leaders to promote excellence, uphold integrity, encourage dialogue, and foster peace and coexistence within their institutions and communities.
He pledged his continued commitment to engaging Nigerian students, listening to their aspirations and creating platforms that empower them academically, economically and socially.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has achieved a lot; he has done a lot for Nigerian students. As young people of this country who are leaders of today, we no longer call ourselves leaders of tomorrow. Enough is enough. Today, our universities and tertiary institutions are now celebrating three years of uninterrupted academic calendars because of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, Prof. Muhammed Isa Kida, said the event affirmed the government’s commitment to student development and engagement.
He commended the students for their discipline and dedication, charging them not to indulge in practices and lifestyles that could undermine the efforts of the government to make them responsible citizens and future leaders.
Participants were drawn from tertiary institutions across the North Central Zone of Nigeria.
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