The Federal Government has paid 20,000 students’ tuition fees directly to their institutions through the ongoing Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) plan.
Akintunde Sawyer, NELFUND’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, announced this on Thursday while addressing at a summit and awareness session organized by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Rivers State.
According to him, the fund had covered tuition fees for 20,000 students at six universities, including the University of Ibadan, the University of Benin, the University of Maiduguri, the University of Ilorin, and Bayero University in Kano.
The student loan plan is President Bola Tinubu’s major education project.
The president established the fund by signing the Access to Higher Education Act, which establishes a legislative framework for awarding loans to impoverished or low-income Nigerians to help them pay their tuition at Nigerian postsecondary institutions.
Sawyer also reported that, as of August 22, 2024, over 280,000 pupils have registered for the system, with over 256,000 having finished the application procedure.
He blamed some of the delays in approving student interest-free loan applications to errors made by students during the registration procedure.
While clarifying further, he stated that filing incorrect paperwork and fraudulent information prolongs the verification process because the organization is devoted to ensuring that only eligible students benefit from the plan.
The summit was attended by representatives of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Commissioner for Youth Development in Rivers State, Chisom Gbali, and 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.
The event, organized by the NANS National Secretariat in partnership with NELFUND, sought to educate students in the state’s higher education institutions about the loan plan and solicit their views.
During the ceremony, the representative of Governor Fubara and the Traditional Ruler, HRM Nwachukwu Nnam-Obi (III) Oba of Ogbaland, Rivers State, who is recognized by NAN’S as the Royal Father of Nigerian Students, encouraged students to seize this opportunity to achieve.
NANS stated that it will continue to raise awareness about the loan scheme at Rivers State’s higher education institutions in order to encourage more students to take advantage of it.
Earlier this month, the fund said that it had approved an additional 22 state-owned higher institutions to apply for student loans.
The addition of 22 state-owned universities raises the overall number of recognized state institutions to 108.
The Newly Cleared Institutions Are:
1. Abia State University, Uturu
2. College of Education, Nsugbe
3. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University
4. Delta State University, Abraka.
5. Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, Delta State
6. Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan-Ekiti
7. Kogi State University, Kabba, Kogi State
8. Prince Abubakar Audu University
9. Kwara State University
10. Kwara State College of Health Technology
11. Abdulkadir Kure University Minna
12. Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu
13. Moshod Abiola Polytechnic
14. Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo
15. The Polytechnic, Ibadan
16. The Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki
17. Rivers State University, Port Harcourt
18. Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic
19. Shehu Sule College of Nursing and Midwifery, Damaturu
20. College of Administration, Management andTechnology Potiskum, Yobe State 21. College of Agriculture, Science & Technology, Gujba
22. College of Education Legal Studies, Nguru
Previously Cleared Institutions Are:
1. Abia State Polytechnic
2. Adamawa State University Mubi
3. Adamawa State Polytechnic Yola
4. College of Education Afaha Nsit
5. Akwa Ibom State University
6. Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic
7. Aminu Saleh College of Education, Azare
8. Niger Delta University
9. Benue State University, Makurdi
10. Borno State University
11. College of Education, Waka-Biu
12. Mohammed Lawan College Of Agriculture
13. Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri
14. Cross River State University
15. Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-uku
16. Delta State University of Science and Technology
17. Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba 18.
University of Delta Agbor
19. Ebonyi State University, AbakalikI
20. Edo State University Uzairue.
21. Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti
22. Bamidele Olumilua University of Edu., Sc., and Tech
23. University of Medical and Applied Sciences Enugu State
24. Gombe State University
25. Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo
26. Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University
27. Benjamin Uwajumogu State College of Education IhitteUboma
28. Imo State Polytechnic Omuma
29. Sule Lamido University Kafin Hausa, Jigawa State
30. Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria
31. Kaduna State College of Education Gidan Waya
32. Kaduna State University
33. Aliko Dangote University of science and Technology wudil
34. Yusuf Maitama Sule University
35. Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management
36. Umar Musa Yaradua University Katsina
37. Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero
38. Confluence University of Science and Technology
39. Prince Abubakar Audu University Anyigba
40. Kwara Polytechnic
41. Kwara State College of Education Oro
42. Lagos state university of education
43. Lagos State University of Science and Technology
44. Lagos State University
45. Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia
46. Nasarawa State University Keffi
47. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Uniersity Lapai
48. Niger State Polytechnic Zungeru
49. Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic
50. Olabisi Onabanjo University
51. Tai Solarin University of Education
52. Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa
53. D.S Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic Itori-Ewekoro.
54. Gateway ICT Polytechnic Saapade
55. University of Medical Sciences, Ondo
56. Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State
57. Government Technical College Ile-Ife 58. GTC, ARA Osun State
59. GTC, GBONGAN Osun State
60. GTC, IJEBU-JESA Osun State
