The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State has debunked the insinuations that tertiary institutions in the South-East were deliberately excluded from accessing the student loan by Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The Special Adviser to the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Emmanuel Ojukwu, disclosed this during an interview in Awka on Thursday, August 29, 2024.
The institution revealed that about 556 of its students applied for the loan, adding that their applications were submitted to NELFUND on August 14 for processing.
According to Ojukwu, 304 students out of the 556 that applied were granted approval by NELFUND on August 16, 2024.
He added that the Student Affairs Unit of the institution has also commenced scrutinising the list of applicants.
This development comes on the heels of a claim by the South-East caucus of the National Assembly, which raised concerns over the absence of beneficiaries from South-East tertiary institutions in the ongoing disbursement of student loans by NELFUND.
The loans, targeted at supporting economically deprived students across Nigeria, have so far amounted to N2bn benefiting 27,667 students from 19 institutions nationwide.
However, it was observed that none of the beneficiary institutions are located in the South-East, giving rise to speculations of alleged marginalisation of the region.
UNIZIK debunks South-East exclusion from student loan
But UNIZIK insisted in its reaction that it was not left out on the NELFUND largesse as being speculated.
“This is to inform the general public that UNIZIK is not left out on the NELFUND as it is being speculated.
“The true position is that 556 students applied, while 304 students were approved by NELFUND on August 16, 2024.
The student affairs unit of the university is currently going through the list to confirm the applicants as bona fide students before disbursement by NELFUND,” Ojukwu told Punch.
