The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has provided an interest-free loan of N280 million to 3,000 students of tertiary institutions in Nasarawa State.
On Wednesday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this during the symbolic presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries in Lafia, the state capital.
Mr Sawyer, who explained that the gesture was in collaboration with the State’s Human Capital Development Agency, urged them to take advantage of the opportunity to improve their lives.
He said the loan was intended to ameliorate the challenges indigent students face before accessing quality education, especially at the higher level.
He assured all interested students across tertiary institutions in the state and Nigeria at large of a transparent process for accessing loans and
He commended the Director General of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman, and her team for their tireless efforts, which led to the programme’s success in the state.
According to him, out of the 12,000 applicants who applied for the loan in Nasarawa State, 3,000 were verified after submitting the required data. He urges other students to take advantage of the window provided by the intervention.
“ Today marks a significant milestone in our partnership with NasarawaState. I am pleased to announce that several institutions in this state have completed 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 can access the financial support they need. I commend the institutions that have fulfilled their responsibilities, and I urge those yet to do so to expedite the submission of their students’ data.”
Also speaking at the occasion, the Acting and Deputy Governor of the state, Emmanuel Akabe, expressed his gratitude to NELFUND for the opportunity given to the young people in the state and urged the students to take advantage of the gesture to guarantee their futures.
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 to ensure that residents of the state have 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 creating access to classrooms and pathways to prosperity for future generations,” she said.
