The Federal Government has paid the tuition fees of 20,000 students directly to their institutions in the ongoing Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyer revealed this on Thursday while speaking during a summit and sensitization programme by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Rivers State.
According to him, the fund had paid the tuition fees of 20, 000 students in six universities, including the University of Ibadan, University of Benin, University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin, and Bayero University, Kano.
The implementation of the student loan scheme is President Bola Tinubu’s flagship project in the education sector.
The president introduced the fund when he signed the Access to Higher Education Act, which creates a legal framework for granting loans to indigent or low-income Nigerians to facilitate the payment of their fees in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Sawyer also disclosed that as of August 22, 2024, over 280,000 students have registered for the scheme, while about 256,000 have completed the application process.
He attributed some of the delays in approving requests for the student interest-free loan to errors made by students during the registration process.
While explaining further, he said filing wrong documents and false information prolongs the verification process, as the agency is committed to ensuring that only eligible students benefit from the scheme.
Representatives of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Commissioner for Youth Development, Rivers State, Chisom Gbali, along with NANS leaders led by the President, Lucky Omonefe, Akintunde Sawyer, the MD/CEO of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), VCs, students and Traditional Rulers, were in attendance at the summit.
The event, organised by the NANS National Secretariat in collaboration with NELFUND, aimed to educate students in higher institutions in the state about the loan scheme and to gather feedback from them.
During the event, the representative of Governor Fubara and the Traditional Ruler, HRM Nwachukwu Nnam-Obi (III) Oba of Ogbaland, Rivers State, who is honoured by NAN’S as the Royal Father of Nigerian Students, advised students to take advantage of this opportunity to excel.
NANS said it is committed to continuing sensitization efforts across higher institutions in Rivers State to encourage more students to benefit from the loan scheme.
Earlier in the month, the fund said it had cleared an extra 22 state-owned tertiary institutions to apply for student loans.
The onboarding of the 22 state-owned institutions brings total number of approved state institutions to 108.
The Newly Cleared Institutions Are:
- Abia State University, Uturu
- College of Education, Nsugbe
- Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University
- Delta State University, Abraka.
- Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, Delta State
- Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan-Ekiti
- Kogi State University, Kabba, Kogi State
- Prince Abubakar Audu University
- Kwara State University
- Kwara State College of Health Technology
- Abdulkadir Kure University Minna
- Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu
- Moshod Abiola Polytechnic
- Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo
- The Polytechnic, Ibadan
- The Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki
- Rivers State University, Port Harcourt
- Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic
- Shehu Sule College of Nursing and Midwifery, Damaturu
- College of Administration, Management andTechnology Potiskum, Yobe State 21. College of Agriculture, Science & Technology, Gujba
- College of Education Legal Studies, Nguru
Previously Cleared Institutions Are:
- Abia State Polytechnic
- Adamawa State University Mubi
- Adamawa State Polytechnic Yola
- College of Education Afaha Nsit
- Akwa Ibom State University
- Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic
- Aminu Saleh College of Education, Azare
- Niger Delta University
- Benue State University, Makurdi
- Borno State University
- College of Education, Waka-Biu
- Mohammed Lawan College Of Agriculture
- Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri
- Cross River State University
- Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-uku
- Delta State University of Science and Technology
- Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba 18.
University of Delta Agbor
- Ebonyi State University, AbakalikI
- Edo State University Uzairue.
- Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti
- Bamidele Olumilua University of Edu., Sc., and Tech
- University of Medical and Applied Sciences Enugu State
- Gombe State University
- Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo
- Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University
- Benjamin Uwajumogu State College of Education IhitteUboma
- Imo State Polytechnic Omuma
- Sule Lamido University Kafin Hausa, Jigawa State
- Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria
- Kaduna State College of Education Gidan Waya
- Kaduna State University
- Aliko Dangote University of science and Technology wudil
- Yusuf Maitama Sule University
- Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management
- Umar Musa Yaradua University Katsina
- Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero
- Confluence University of Science and Technology
- Prince Abubakar Audu University Anyigba
- Kwara Polytechnic
- Kwara State College of Education Oro
- Lagos state university of education
- Lagos State University of Science and Technology
- Lagos State University
- Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia
- Nasarawa State University Keffi
- Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Uniersity Lapai
- Niger State Polytechnic Zungeru
- Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic
- Olabisi Onabanjo University
- Tai Solarin University of Education
- Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa
- D.S Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic Itori-Ewekoro.
- Gateway ICT Polytechnic Saapade
- University of Medical Sciences, Ondo
- Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State
- Government Technical College Ile-Ife 58. GTC, ARA Osun State
- GTC, GBONGAN Osun State
- GTC, IJEBU-JESA Osun State
