NELFUND has provided relief for less-privileged students — Shettima

Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima has described the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a major intervention by the Federal Government to remove financial barriers preventing children from less-privileged backgrounds from accessing higher education.

Shettima said the student loan scheme, introduced under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had provided financial relief to students and helped make poverty less of a barrier to pursuing tertiary education.

The Vice President spoke on Wednesday in Abuja when he received the management team of the University of Abuja, led by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi.

He said NELFUND was designed not only to support students financially but also to serve as a tool for reducing poverty and promoting equal access to education.

“NELFUND is a very beautiful initiative by the leadership of this country under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, created to give respite and breathing space to the children of the poor,” Shettima said.

According to him, the initiative covers tuition fees and provides monthly upkeep allowances to eligible students, ensuring that those who may otherwise be unable to afford tertiary education can remain in school.

The Vice President recalled his experience as a student at the University of Maiduguri, particularly the difficulty students faced when the cost of food increased, using the experience to highlight the financial pressures that could affect students.

He said the intervention had helped prevent poverty from becoming a reason for young Nigerians to abandon their education.

Shettima also used the occasion to assess the country’s economic direction, saying Nigeria was now firmly on the path of sustainable economic development under the Tinubu administration.

He attributed recent improvements in Nigeria’s sovereign credit ratings and outlooks by international rating agencies to stronger foreign exchange reserves, increased oil production, higher federal allocations following the removal of fuel subsidy and ongoing macroeconomic reforms.

The Vice President also commended the management of the University of Abuja for restoring stability at the institution, saying the university had overcome some of the challenges that previously affected its operations.

He assured the university that the Federal Government would continue to provide necessary support for its development.

Earlier, Fawehinmi commended Shettima for his contributions to the administration and his support for the university.

“We have always known you to be a highly cerebral and dynamic leader. We appreciate the generous strides you are making in the country. We are not surprised at your intellectual agility,” the Vice Chancellor said.

Fawehinmi said NELFUND had contributed to relative stability in the education sector by enabling students to remain in school despite financial difficulties.

He added that the university’s management and Governing Council considered it important to acknowledge the Vice President’s support.

“Our recent history in terms of leadership has not been very palatable. There have been issues to do with our checkered history, but in the last eight months when we came on board, we tried our very best to stabilize the university,” he said.

The engagement underscored the Federal Government’s emphasis on education financing and institutional stability as part of its broader efforts to improve access to tertiary education and strengthen human capital development.