LAFIA – No few than 3,000 students to benefit from students loan scheme in Nasarawa State as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, on Wednesday disbursed N280million to tertiary institutions in Nasarawa State.
Speaking at the Symbolic Presentation of Cheques to the beneficiaries in Lafia, state capital the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr explained that the gesture was aimed at making quality education accessible to all students of higher learning in the state in order to ameliorate their challenges.
He assured all interested students across tertiary institutions in the state and Nigeria at large of a transparent process in accessing the loans, and urged them to take advantage of the opportunity to better their lives.
While acknowledging President Bola Tinubu, for his unending love towards students in the country, Sawyerr commended the Director General of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman and her team for their tireless efforts which had greatly helped in ensuring the success of the programme in the state.
Sawyerr said, ” Today marks a significant milestone in our partnership with Nasarawa State. I am pleased to announce that several institutions in this state have completed the process of verifying their students’ applications, and as a result, we will be presenting cheques to these institutions.
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“From across the country, we have about 275,000 students who have applied for the loans and are being considered. For Nasarawa State, we have had 12,000 applicants and 3,000 of them have been verified, so we have paid out something like N280 million.
“The disbursement of these funds to verified institutions will ensure that students have access to the financial support they need. I commend the institutions that have fulfilled their responsibilities, and I urge those that are yet to do so to expedite the submission of their students’ data.”
On his part, Deputy Governor of the state, Emmanuel Akabe, who represented governor expressing his gratitude to NELFUND for the opportunity given to the young people in the state, urged the students to take advantage of the gesture to guarantee their futures.
“This is an insurance for the future because any nation that neglects education is doomed. I want to urge our students to take advantage of this loan scheme because the facilities are already available. The students should ensure that they fulfil all the requirements so that they can get the loans,” he said.
In her key note address, the Director General of the state’s Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman, expressed the agency’s gratitude to NELFUND; the State Governor, Abdullahi Sule; and his deputy, Emmanuel Akabe for their continued efforts towards ensuring that residents of the state get unhindered access to good and sound education.
“This journey, championed by a leader like His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, reflects an unwavering commitment to Human Capital Development. By making education accessible and affordable through NELFUND, we are not only creating access to classrooms, but creating pathways to prosperity for future generations,” she added.
