The Federal Government has paid the tuition fees of 20,000 students directly to their institutions in the ongoing Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyer revealed this on Thursday while speaking during a summit and sensitization programme by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Rivers State.

According to him, the fund had paid the tuition fees of 20, 000 students in six universities, including the University of Ibadan, University of Benin, University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin, and Bayero University, Kano.

The Implementation of the student loan scheme is President Bola Tinubu’s flagship project in the education sector.

The president introduced the fund when he signed the Access to Higher Education Act, which creates a legal framework for granting loans to indigent or low-income Nigerians to facilitate the payment of their fees in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Sawyer also disclosed that as of August 22, 2024, over 280,000 students have registered for the scheme, while about 256,000 have completed the application process.

He attributed some of the delays in approving requests for the student interest-free loan to errors made by students during the registration process.

While explaining further, he said filing wrong documents and false information prolongs the verification process, as the agency is committed to ensuring that only eligible students benefit from the scheme.

Representatives of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Commissioner for Youth Development, Rivers State, Chisom Gbali, along with 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, were in attendance at the summit.

The event, organised by the NANS National Secretariat in collaboration with NELFUND, aimed to educate students in higher institutions in the state about the loan scheme and to gather feedback from them.

During the event, the representative of Governor Fubara and the Traditional Ruler, HRM Nwachukwu Nnam-Obi (III) Oba of Ogbaland, Rivers State, who is honoured by NAN’S as the Royal Father of Nigerian Students, advised students to take advantage of this opportunity to excel.

NANS said it is committed to continuing sensitization efforts across higher institutions in Rivers State to encourage more students to benefit from the loan scheme.

Earlier in the month, the fund said it had cleared an extra 22 state-owned tertiary institutions to apply for student loans.

The onboarding of the 22 state-owned institutions brings total number of approved 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

21. 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. (Channels TV)

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