NELFUND disburses N282bn to 1.5m students nationwide

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says no fewer than 1.5 million students across 288 tertiary institutions have benefited from its loan scheme, with more than N282 billion disbursed nationwide.

NELFUND Head of Loan Repayment and Reconciliation, Awati Muhammed, disclosed this at a Democracy Day engagement, organised by student union leaders across Northern Nigeria in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, on Friday, June 12, 2026.

Muhammed said the initiative aimed at bringing together students and stakeholders to discuss educational opportunities available under the federal government’s initiatives.

Muhammed said the Northern Project Coordination Office (NPCO), in collaboration with NELFUND and the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PI-CNG), had commenced a sensitisation campaign across 25 universities in Northern Nigeria.

He stated that the campaign was aimed at educating students on the benefits of the interest-free education loan programme and other federal government’s interventions in the education sector.

Muhammed said: “The outreach is designed to increase awareness and encourage wider participation among eligible students.

“The scheme is helping to eliminate financial barriers that have historically hindered many young Nigerians from accessing tertiary education.

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“The programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises access to quality education and youth empowerment.”

The NELFUND official reiterated the agency’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the loan scheme.

He added that the sensitisation would also provide opportunities for students to interact directly with NELFUND officials and other stakeholders.

Muhammed assured students that the campaign would continue across institutions in the north to ensure that no eligible beneficiary was excluded from the programme.