NANS Commends Tinubu Over NELFUND, Seeks Expansion To Private Tertiary Institutions

By Ayoola Ayomide, Osogbo

The South-West Zone D leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has described the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of tertiary students across the country.

The disclosure was made during a press conference held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Correspondents’ Chapel in Osogbo, Osun State, on Wednesday.

The NANS Coordinator, Comrade Adeyemi Josiah, commended Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the establishment and sustained funding of the student loan scheme.

Josiah stated that as of December 2025, NELFUND had disbursed over ₦161 billion in interest-free loans to more than 864,000 beneficiaries across 263 public tertiary institutions nationwide.

He described the initiative as a landmark intervention in Nigeria’s education sector and called on the Federal Government to expand the scheme to include students in private tertiary institutions, noting that they are equally deserving of support.

The NANS coordinator also urged eligible students across the South-West to take advantage of the initiative by applying without delay, emphasising that the scheme is specifically designed to ease the financial burden of education.

He further challenged student leaders in tertiary institutions to intensify efforts in sensitising their members on the benefits and application process of the loan.

Josiah also called on education stakeholders, including ministries of education and institutional managements, to move beyond mere announcements and adopt sustained grassroots awareness campaigns that reach students at all levels.

“NELFUND is only as effective as the number of students who are aware of it and can access it. The responsibility to bridge the awareness gap does not rest on the Federal Government alone; it is a shared duty, and we intend to hold every stakeholder accountable,” he said.