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The Managing Director of Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, has urged parents in Ogun State, to encourage their children on the opportunities inherent in accessing the education loan scheme initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Sawyerr disclosed this on Friday during the NELFUND sensitisation programme held at Ijebu Ife, in Ijebu East Local Government area of the state. He noted that the President understood the importance of qualitative education, hence his administration’s resolve to ensure that no Nigerian could go to school due to lack of funds. The NELFUND boss disclosed that the agency had disbursed N116bn as school fees and monthly upkeep since the scheme began in 2024. “President Tinubu is committed to making life easier for all Nigerians. He understands the power of education because these developed countries that have gone ahead of us did not make such a leap because of the colour of their skin, but the foundation is rooted in education. “So, our President has put down so much funds to ensure our children go to school by accessing this students’ loans. We have so far disbursed N116bn since the programme began. “No parents or guardians must keep their children at home or deny them the opportunity to advance educationally because of lack of funds, that is now in the past. “I hereby encourage you all to go back home and help the federal government to spread this good news. President Tinubu does not want to hear that our children could not go to university, polytechnic, college of education for lack of funds, NELFUND has taken care of that and so we should urge our children in higher institutions to apply for this education loan,” he added. Similarly speaking, the Executive Director of Finance and Administration of NELFUND,Dr Frederick Akinfala, said the Scheme wastargeted at expanding access to qualitative tertiary education across the country “It is outright falsehood that the certificates of the beneficiaries of the students loans would be seized, this is a loan that is without guarantor. “The beneficiaries will begin loan repayment two years after graduation with 10% of their salaries, but if the beneficiary is yet to get a job, he or she will write NELFUND to say that he has not gotten a job and that is settled. President Tinubu set up the scheme to make life easier for Nigerians and not punish the people,” Akinfala said. The Chairman of the local government, Dr Dare Kehinde, appreciated the Tinubu government for establishing the student loans scheme. He said the Council area would establish a centre that would provide support for the students applying for this loan and support them with the required guidelines to register successfully. ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
