The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has extended its nationwide sensitisation campaign on the Federal Government’s student loan scheme to Ekiti State, urging parents to encourage their children in public tertiary institutions to apply.

The Managing Director of NELFund, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, made the appeal during a visit to the Palace of the Oore of Otun Ekiti and Paramount Ruler of Moba land, Oba Adekunle Adeagbo.

Sawyerr said President Bola Tinubu’s administration introduced the scheme to reduce the financial burden on parents and promote equitable access to higher education.
“President Tinubu is determined to ease the burden of funding tertiary education from parents’ shoulders,” he said. “In the last 24 hours alone, we have received 12,000 applications. Since May 2024, nearly 700,000 students have benefited from the scheme, with over one million applications submitted.”

He noted that the initiative had revealed the extent of demand for educational funding and credited the president’s “political acumen” in identifying education as a critical national priority.
“If this country gets itself educated and on its feet, nobody will be able to threaten Nigeria,” he added.

Sawyerr commended Oba Adeagbo for initiating the engagement and for his commitment to ensuring that no community under his domain is left behind.
“This visit came about because of the proactive step of the paramount ruler,” he said. “He came to our office to request that we reach the 13 kingdoms under his jurisdiction. Such community engagement is exactly the kind of traction President Tinubu expects nationwide.”

NELFund’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Dr. Femi Akinfala, reassured parents that students admitted into public tertiary institutions automatically qualify for the loan.
“What the Tinubu administration has done with the student loan scheme is to relieve parents of the financial responsibility of their children’s education, as the government will bear the cost through the loan,” Akinfala said.

In his remarks, Oba Adeagbo expressed appreciation for the visit, saying the scheme would help young people in the community access education without financial hindrance.
“The only way to achieve development is through education,” he said. “The impact of this student loan will be seen in the future — 10, 20, 30, or 40 years from now — just as we still see the results of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s free education policy today.”

A former Ekiti State Commissioner for Youths, Gold Adedayo, also lauded President Tinubu for establishing NELFund, saying the initiative had reduced financial requests from students to the state government.
“The student loan scheme has not only empowered young Nigerians but has also begun bridging the gap between the rich and poor,” Adedayo said.
Established in April 2024, NELFund was mandated to manage the Federal Government’s interest-free student loan scheme aimed at eliminating financial barriers to tertiary education.

According to official data, as of November 6, 2025, NELFund had received over 1.03 million applications and disbursed ₦116.4 billion in student loans covering institutional fees and living allowances to students across 239 public tertiary institutions nationwide.