NELFUND: Kano, Borno, Benue Lead In Student Loan Applications

Data from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has revealed that students from Kano, Borno, and Benue states are leading in the number of applicants for the government’s student loan scheme.

NELFUND shared the statistics on its official X account, @nelfnigeria, on Friday, showcasing the breakdown of applications by state.

According to the data, Kano State students submitted the highest number of applications, with 17,122 individuals seeking financial assistance.

Borno State followed closely with 13,798 applications, while Benue recorded 11,754 applicants. These three states were the only ones to surpass the 11,000 mark in applications.

This student loan scheme represents a significant educational initiative under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Shortly after taking office, Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, which established a legal framework for providing loans to financially disadvantaged Nigerian students to help cover their tuition fees at tertiary institutions.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, created by this legislation, is responsible for processing loan applications, managing grants, and overseeing loan disbursements and recovery efforts.

According to the act, the fund will be supported by various revenue streams and will engage in other financial activities to ensure sustainability.

The data also revealed the number of student loan applicants from other states: Oyo (8,990), Kaduna (10,380), Katsina (10,952), Osun (8,093), Kogi (8,400), Plateau (9,328), Adamawa (8,977), Kwara (7,645), Taraba (8,668), Yobe (8,966), Ogun (5,943), Akwa Ibom (6,525), Bauchi (6,517), Kebbi (6,333), Gombe (6,121), Niger (5,804), Jigawa (5,535), Ondo (3,854), Nasarawa (4,789), Ekiti (3,497), Imo (2,802), Delta (2,771), Ebonyi (2,981), Cross River (2,476), and Enugu (2,247).

Other states and regions included Abia (2,170), Lagos (2,347), Anambra (1,840), Zamfara (2,986), Edo (2,149), Rivers (2,162), Sokoto (2,055), Bayelsa (1,267), and the Federal Capital Territory with 676 applicants.