The National Assembly (NASS) and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) have intensified efforts to expand the student loan scheme, with a target of increasing direct beneficiaries from the current 1.6 million to seven million students across the country.

The move formed part of discussions at a one-day national sensitisation programme on student loans organised by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund in collaboration with NELFUND in Abuja yesterday.

Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, while speaking at the event, described the sensitisation campaign as timely, noting that many indigent Nigerians were still awaiting access to the intervention programme.

According to him, no matter how beneficial a programme may be, its impact would remain limited if potential beneficiaries were not adequately informed about its objectives and access procedures.

Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed that the scheme had so far recorded over 1.6 million direct beneficiaries and disbursed more than N282 billion to support students in tertiary institutions across the country.

Sawyerr said the current figure translates to nearly 10 million Nigerians impacted indirectly when family members of beneficiaries are taken into consideration.

He added that the agency was seeking broader stakeholders’ support to expand the initiative to cover up to seven million beneficiaries in tertiary institutions and vocational centres nationwide.

The NELFUND boss further revealed plans to extend the scheme beyond conventional higher education to include skills acquisition, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), a move he said could ultimately impact about 50 million Nigerians.

Also speaking, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loans, Scholarships and Tertiary Education Financing, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, described the sensitisation programme as both timely and critical to deepening public awareness of the scheme.

He noted that the student loan initiative had already achieved significant milestones since its introduction.

Earlier, Chairman of the Senate Committee on TETFund, Muntari Dandutse, said the collaborative sensitisation programme was part of the committee’s constitutional oversight responsibilities and commitment to ensuring equitable access to education for all Nigerians.

He stressed that sustained awareness campaigns would enhance participation in the programme and enable more students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access funding for their education.