NELFUND captures 3,000 Nasarawa students for N280m interest-free loan

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has provided an interest-free loan of N280 million for 3,000 students of tertiary institutions in Nasarawa State.

Speaking at the Symbolic Presentation of Cheques to the beneficiaries in Lafia, state capital on Wednesday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, explained that the gesture was aimed at making quality education accessible to all students of higher learning in the state in order to ameliorate their challenges.

He assured all interested students across tertiary institutions in the state and Nigeria at large of a transparent process in accessing the loans and urged them to take advantage of the opportunity to better their lives.

While thanking President Bola Tinubu for his unending love towards students in the country, Sawyerr commended the Director General of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman and her team for their tireless efforts which had greatly helped in ensuring the success of the programme in the state.

Sawyerr said, “Today marks a significant milestone in our partnership with Nasarawa State. I am pleased to announce that several institutions in this state have completed the process of verifying their students’ applications, and as a result, we will be presenting cheques to these institutions.

“From across the country, we have about 275,000 students who have applied for the loans and are being considered. For Nasarawa State, we have had 12,000 applicants, and 3,000 of them have been verified, so we have paid out something like N280 million.

“The disbursement of these funds to verified institutions will ensure that students have access to the financial support they need. I commend the institutions that have fulfilled their responsibilities, and I urge those who are yet to do so to expedite the submission of their students’ data.”

On his part, the Acting and Deputy Governor of the state, Emmanuel Akabe, while expressing his gratitude to NELFUND for the opportunity given to the young people in the state, urged the students to take advantage of the gesture to guarantee their future.

Akabe noted, “This is an insurance for the future because any nation that neglects education is doomed. I want to urge our students to take advantage of this loan scheme because the facilities are already available. The students should ensure that they fulfil all the requirements so that they can get the loans,” he advised.

In her remark, the Director General of the state’s Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman, expressed the agency’s gratitude to NELFUND, the State Governor, Abdullahi Sule; and his deputy, Emmanuel Akabe for their continued efforts towards ensuring that residents of the state get unhindered access to good and sound education.

“This journey, championed by a leader like His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, reflects an unwavering commitment to human capital development. By making education accessible and affordable through NELFUND, we are not only creating access to classrooms but creating pathways to prosperity for future generations,” she added.

Earlier, the National President of the Nasarawa State Students Association, Husseini Abubakar Eya thanked the Federal Government of Nigeria for the initiative to support students of tertiary institutions with loans, and promised that they (students) will take their studies very seriously in order to justify the efforts of NELFUND and the Nasarawa State government.