Victoria Mbangwa
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is developing a system to integrate its platform with higher institutions’ portals, streamlining the verification process for students applying for financial aid.
Speaking at a sensitization program held at the University of Ilorin for higher institutions in Kwara State on Tuesday, NELFUND’s Executive Director of Operations, Mustapha Iyal, emphasized the importance of this integration.
Iyal stated. “We observed that one of the problems we have is that of verification. So what NELFUND is trying to do is that we want to engage the institutions directly by linking the NELFUND activities on the institutional portals.
“By doing that, when a student is trying to register in school, they can select whether they want to pay via NELFUND, cash or other means.
“So if the student opts to pay with NELFUND, they will fill in the application with their details which are already on the institutional portals, so they don’t have to go to the NELFUND portal.”
Iyal reassured students that the organization is continuously working to refine the process. “We have already started working on the issues. We work 24 hours and we are always there for the student.” He added.
Also speaking at the event, Umar Farouk, the representative of the National Association of Nigerian Students on the NELFUND board, highlighted the significance of the loan scheme in providing access to education for underprivileged students.
“One of the campaign promises of President Bola Tinubu is the student loan and I am happy to say that the student loan fund is here to stay.” Farouk noted. “Nigerians can now get to understand that children of nobody can now access higher education easily.”
The student loan program is a cornerstone of Tinubu’s education policy. Shortly after his inauguration, he signed the Access to Higher Education Act, which provides a legal framework for granting loans to low-income students, reinforcing the government’s commitment to inclusive education.
