Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, Managing Director of Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), confirmed that the Fund received over 60,000 applicants of the student loan since Friday after the opening of NELFUND portal for students at federal institutions.
This statement was made on Thursday when the managing director was addressing the media in Abuja. He said that out of the 60,000 applications, 30,000 students had successfully completed the process to access the loan.
He said, “We are pleased to report that over 90 per cent Federal institutions of Higher Learning have submitted their students’ data to NELFUND.
However, we urge the remaining two federal universities and five federal polytechnics to expedite the process to ensure that all eligible students can access the funds’ financial support.”
He also said the Fund had over 9.5 million hits on the site so far, stating that “the extraordinary surge” in applications was a revealed the critical need for financial assistance amongst students.
According to him, beyond financial assistance, NELFUND recognised the profound importance of equipping youths with practical, market-relevant skills and would launch skill acquisition programme. “Six months from today, we will launch a comprehensive skill acquisition programme, providing training in various vocational and technical fields,” he said.
According to him, this comprehensive programme has been designed to prepare students in meeting the demands of the modern job market, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation among young people.
Sawyerr also disclosed that the fund would commence accepting applications from students of state-owned tertiary institutions on June 25, 2024. This he said, urging the state-owned tertiary institutions to submit their students’ data immediately as requested in order to facilitate a seamless application process.
The managing director said that the programme is designed to prepare students to meet the demands of the modern job market, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation among young people.
Conclusively, Sawyerr commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support and vision for the Fund and acknowledged the dedication of all stakeholders, including the media and NELFUND team, for their tireless efforts in making a tangible difference in the lives of Nigerian students.