FG Gives Reasons For Delay In Students Loan Process, Fixes New Take-Off Date

The Federal Government has designated March as the confirmed opening month for the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund) portal, catering to eligible students.

Akintunde Sawyerr, the Executive Secretary of NELFund, revealed this information during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, encouraging eligible students to register in order to access the fund.

Osun Defender recalls that on June 12, 2023, President Bola Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Bill into law to enable indigent students to access interest-free loans to pursue their education in any Nigerian tertiary institution.

The scheme was slated to commence between September and October 2023, but because of unforeseen circumstances, there was a revised timeline to January.

During the Thursday interview, Sawyerr clarified that the delay in commencing the scheme ahead of schedule stemmed from its technical nature, requiring the implementation of necessary measures to ensure proper execution.

Sawyerr reaffirmed President Tinubu’s dedication to ensuring that financial constraints do not impede any student in Nigeria from pursuing tertiary education.

According to him, the scheme was designed for indigent Nigerian students in tertiary institutions, and applications would be made online to ensure a fair process.

He said, “The take-off date is this month (March), and the reason for the delay is that we are trying to get it right.

“This is not a political programme where we say, We are just going to do it; it doesn’t matter how it works.

“This is a programme that will probably run beyond me as a human being, not even as a secretary. This is something that we want to run adequately, so we have to get it right.

“We have decided that all applicants should be able to access this scheme regardless of where they are, who they are, and who they know.

“We want this to be a process that is fair to all, and we will advertise the portal widely so that applicants will be able to go to the website to fill out a series of forms and answer certain questions.

“Based on the data they input and their answers to the questions, the system will be able to determine appropriately, whether they are eligible to apply or not.’’