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
58. GTC, GBONGAN Osun State
59. GTC, IJEBU-JESA Osun State