The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has provided an interest-free loan of N280million to 3,000 students of tertiary institutions in Nasarawa State.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this during the symbolic presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries in Lafia, Nasarawa state capital on Wednesday.
Mr. Sawyer who explained that the gesture was in collaboration with State’s Human Capital Development Agency, urged the students to take advantage of the opportunity to better their lives.
He said the loan was aimed at ameliorating the challenges indigent students go through before accessing quality education, especially at higher level.
He assured all interested students across tertiary institutions in the state and Nigeria at large of a transparent process in accessing the loans.
He further commended the Director General of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Suleiman and her team for their tireless efforts which led to the success of the programme in the state.
According to Sawyerr, out of the 12, 000 applicants that applied for the loan in Nasarawa State, 3,000 were verified after submitting the required data, while urging other students to take advantage of the window provided by the intervention.
“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 that are yet to do so to expedite the submission of their students’ data.”
Speaking at the event, 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.
Director General of the state’s Human Capital Development Agency, 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.
She added that the initiative championed by President Tinubu reflects an unwavering commitment to human capital development, adding, “By making education accessible and affordable through NELFUND, we are not only creating access to classrooms, but creating pathways to prosperity for future generations.”