The Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, has advised students to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the fund to achieve their academic dreams.
The NELFUND MD made the call at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun-Warri, Delta State when he led members of the board to the pioneer oil training institute.
He told the students that NELFUND is open to both new and existing students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, adding that on successful application, the fund is disbursed within reasonable days.
He said: “The loan provides financial support to qualified Nigerian students for tuition fees and other charges and for their upkeep during their studies in approved tertiary academic institutions and/or vocational and skills acquisition institutions within Nigeria.”
Sawyerr who projected that the beneficiaries may hit an estimated 2.1 million students, encouraged students to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by the intervention agency to better their wellbeing while in school.
He further stated that NELFUND has disbursed over N104bn to 613,734 students from Nigerian tertiary institutions since inception, adding that the disbursed funds included institutional fees paid directly to the institutions of applicants and upkeep loans paid directly to the account number provided by the applicants.
“We are responsible for students in tertiary institutions that are government-owned such as polytechnics where PTI is classified, universities and colleges of education,” the NELFUND MD said.
He also disclosed that out of the 417,000 students who have registered on the portal, about 328,000 had applied, assuring that “some have been processed, many have been looked at and most of them will get the loan”.
On his part, PTI principal, Dr Samuel Onoji, emphasized that NELFUND was established to provide financial assistance to students nationwide, and urged PTI students and their counterparts across the country to utilise the advantage of the opportunity.
