Chidimma Uchegbu
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has initiated a process to link its website with institutional portals. This move aims to simplify the verification process for student loan applicants.
The Executive Director of Operations at NELFUND, Mustapha Iyal, made this known during the sensitization programme held at the University of Ilorin for higher institutions in Kwara state on Tuesday.
Iyal explained that by linking NELFUND’s activities to institutional portals, students can easily access and apply for loans during registration.
“We observed that one of the problems we are having is the problem 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 so by doing that when a student is trying to do registration 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 NELF“UND portal. That is the kind of portal we are looking at. We want to create a synergy.”
Iyal who also reacted to complaints raised by students of beneficiary institutions in Kwara state, said the Fund has commenced work on issues raised.
“On the issues raised by the students, we are working on ways to make the whole process seamless. We have already started working on the issues. We work 24 hours and we are always there for the student.”
On his part, the representative of the National Association of Nigerian Students on the NELFUND board, Umar Farouk hailed the move by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to establish the student loan initiative.
He said the initiative will further encourage indigent students to have access to higher education.
“One of the campaign promises of the President is the student loan and I am happy to say that the student loan fund is here to stay. Nigerians can now get to understand that children of nobodies can now access higher education easily.
With access to student loan, everyone now has the ease to go to school.”
The student loan scheme is a flagship project of President Tinubu’s administration in the education sector. The Access to Higher Education Act, signed into law by President Tinubu, created NELFUND to manage loan requests, grants, disbursements, and recovery.
The Fund, according to the Act, is to be funded from multiple streams and will engage in other productive activities.
