The Federal Government has disbursed N2.146 billion in student loans, benefiting 18,998 students across Nigeria.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund announced that this latest distribution extends the program to 40 additional higher institutions, bringing the total number of participating institutions to 59.
This initiative highlights NELFUND’s commitment to expanding access to higher education, particularly for financially disadvantaged students. “This expansion marks a significant milestone in NELFUND’s ongoing efforts to ensure quality education is accessible to all Nigerian students, regardless of their financial circumstances,” NELFUND stated.
Institutions across various states have benefited from the program, with significant amounts allocated to universities and polytechnics. For example, Usmanu Danfodio University in Sokoto received N226.9 million, and Federal University Gusau in Zamfara received N218.5 million.
The program’s expansion has addressed initial concerns from the South East, where institutions had been absent from the list of beneficiaries. NELFUND clarified that the exclusion was due to pending verification processes from those institutions, not deliberate discrimination.
Following this clarification, institutions in the region, such as Enugu State University and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, confirmed that their students had applied and were awaiting disbursements.
