Yola: The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disbursed more than ₦282 billion to about 1.5 million students across 288 tertiary institutions nationwide under its student loan scheme.
Mr Awati Muhammed, NELFUND’s Head of Loan Repayment and Reconciliation, disclosed this on Friday during a Democracy Day engagement organised by student union leaders from Northern Nigeria in Yola.
The event, themed “Thank You President Tinubu for Making Democracy Work for Students,” brought together students and stakeholders to discuss educational opportunities available under Federal Government initiatives.
Muhammed said the Northern Project Coordination Office (NPCO), in collaboration with NELFUND and the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PI-CNG), had launched a sensitisation campaign across 25 universities in Northern Nigeria.
According to him, the campaign is aimed at increasing awareness of the interest-free education loan programme and other Federal Government interventions in the education sector.
“The outreach is designed to increase awareness and encourage wider participation among eligible students,” he said.
He noted that the scheme was helping to remove financial barriers that had long prevented many young Nigerians from accessing tertiary education, adding that it aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on education and youth empowerment.
Muhammed reaffirmed NELFUND’s commitment to transparency and accountability and said the campaign would provide students with opportunities to engage directly with officials on application procedures, eligibility requirements and repayment terms.
He assured participants that the sensitisation drive would continue across institutions in the North to ensure that all eligible students benefit from the programme.
Also speaking, the NELFUND Desk Officer at Modibbo Adama University, Malam Abdulwahab Shehu, described the initiative as a major step toward expanding access to higher education.
A beneficiary and student of the university, Abbas Aminu, said the loan had eased the burden of tuition and other educational expenses, enabling him to focus more on his studies.