In addition to the earlier 60 higher institutions cleared by the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to access the Federal Government Students’ Loan Scheme, NELFUND says it has cleared an extra 22 state-owned tertiary institutions to apply for student loan.
The implementation of the student loan scheme is President Bola Tinubu’s flagship project in the education sector.
The statement posted via @NELFUND on X said, “The Nigeria Education Loan Fund has announced that students from the following 22 state-owned tertiary institutions can now apply for loans on its portal: nelf.gov.ng
“This followed a review by the committee responsible for the Student Verification System. Prior to this, 86 state-owned institutions were cleared, bringing a total of 108 institutions whose students are now able to apply,” the statement posted via @NELFUND on X said.
The onboarding of the 22 state-owned institutions brings total number of approved state institutions to 108.
The development comes barely one month after the fund was set up by President, Tinubu. 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.
The law, reenacted earlier this year, created the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
NELFUND is saddled with the responsibility of handling all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.
The fund, according to the act, is to be funded from multiple streams and will engage in other productive activities.
The newly cleared institutions are: Abia State University, Uturu; College of Education, Nsugbe; Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University; Delta State University, Abraka; Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, Delta State; Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan-Ekiti; Kogi State University, Kabba, Kogi State; Prince Abubakar Audu University; Kwara State University, and Kwara State College of Health Technology.
Others are Abdulkadir Kure University Minna; Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu; Moshod Abiola Polytechnic; Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo; The Polytechnic, Ibadan; The Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki; Rivers State University, Port Harcourt; Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic; Shehu Sule College of Nursing and Midwifery, Damaturu; College of Administration, Management andTechnology Potiskum, Yobe State; College of Agriculture, Science & Technology, Gujba, and College of Education Legal Studies, Nguru.
