The Federal Government has allocated more than ₦90 billion to fund the education and welfare of over 400,000 students across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, in what officials describe as one of the administration’s most ambitious education interventions.
Our correspondent gathered from the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, that the funds are being disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), an initiative introduced by President Bola Tinubu to ease the financial burden of tuition and living expenses on students and their families.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday during a courtesy visit from a delegation of State Commissioners of Information led by the Borno State Commissioner of Information and Internal Security, Prof Usman Tar, Idris said the scheme had not only enabled students to remain in school without disruption but had also expanded access to higher education nationwide.
“The Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu has committed ₦90 billion to NELFUND. Tinubu’s vision is that, on no account, should a Nigerian child of school age be denied going to a tertiary institution,” Idris said.
“Therefore, this amount is not for school fees alone but also for upkeep of over 400,000 students across different tertiary institutions in the country.”
Our correspondent understands that as of August 6, ₦86.3 billion had already been disbursed – ₦47.6 billion to cover institutional fees in 218 beneficiary institutions and ₦38.7 billion paid directly to students as upkeep allowances.
Daily status reports generated on September 3 showed 780,089 students had registered on the platform, with 788,842 applications received and 449,039 beneficiaries approved.
The Minister urged Nigerians to look beyond political affiliations when assessing government initiatives, adding: “If you will not listen to me because I was appointed by President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, don’t forget that your children need the NELFUND to stay in school.
And also your people who have cancer need treatment and would have to access the Cancer Screening and Treatment Centre/Oncology that Tinubu provided.”
He reiterated that President Tinubu’s leadership is designed for the collective good of Nigerians, regardless of religion or political party, insisting: “Nigeria under Tinubu is on the path to prosperity. We are in government to serve the interests of all, irrespective of political parties.”