Nigerian education fund disburses N303 billion, urges student uptake

Dr. Akintunde Sawyerr, Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), has urged tertiary students in the North Central zone to utilize the available loan scheme, which has disbursed N303 billion to higher institutions. This initiative, approved by President Bola Tinubu within the last two years, has already benefited around 850,000 citizens.

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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 didn’t come from rich homes.

Sawyerr emphasized that the program, known as NELFUND, ensures that financial constraints do not prevent young Nigerians from pursuing education. "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 didn’t come from rich homes," Sawyerr stated during a program in Nasarawa State.

He highlighted that President Tinubu's administration is committed to removing the financial burden of education from parents and students. The goal is to provide equal opportunities for all aspiring learners, regardless of their socioeconomic background. The scheme aims to ensure that "if you want to get an education, which will help you to be a great citizen, you must not be prevented from getting that opportunity simply because you don’t come from a rich home."

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The president said that is not acceptable. He, therefore, deployed this programme known as NELFUND, to ensure that if you want to get an education, which will help you to be a great citizen, you must not be prevented from getting that opportunity simply because you don’t come from a rich home.

Students from the North Central region were encouraged to apply through the digital platform, which is designed for easy access. Sawyerr assured them that no personal connections are necessary to obtain the loans. "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 just have to go online and put in specific pieces of information that confirm that you are qualified," he explained.

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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 just have to go online and put in specific pieces of information that confirm that you are qualified.