…Says South-South, South East enrolment low

By Joseph Erunke

Abuja-The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has directed students complaining of receiving their loans after graduation to proceed to their various schools to resolve the issue.

It also lamented the low enrolment of students of South South and South East geo-political zones, citing a noticeable disparity in applications, compared to other parts of the country.

Reacting to alleged loan payment to some students who had already graduated,at a stakeholders’ engagement session and technical workshop on system automation and the loan application process in Abuja yesterday, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, said:”We have to adhere to our processes.

“If a person has already paid his fees in his final year, and we have paid their tuition, it is the obligation of that individual to go to school. I know my fees are now being paid by an officer.

“But to complain that you have already graduated and you have left, the fact of the matter is people applied in their final year. You have to go through a process that allows us to make sure that they are the ones who are actually applying and who actually need it. Again, let me just point out this thing about delays.”

According to him, the Fund is handling government and taxpayers’ money, and no disbursement will be rushed.

Speaking on enrollment, he called on the South-South and South-East to increase their participation in the student loan scheme.

The three-day event, which began yesterday with universities, will continue with polytechnics, monotechnics, and institutes tomorrow (today). The final day, on the 7th, will feature colleges of education, agriculture, health, and nursing.

Sawyerr described the gathering as a critical milestone in the collective journey NELFUND had “embarked upon to deliver a fully digitized, transparent, and student-centric financial aid system for Nigerian higher education.”