The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, paid an official visit to Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA) in Katsina State, where he sensitised students on the federal government’s student loan scheme and disclosed that the fund has disbursed over 240 billion naira in institutional fees and stipends since its launch.
Sawyerr, who was received by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mohammed Khalid Othman, and a large crowd of students, spoke at a one-day sensitisation programme titled “Understanding NELFUND’s Students’ Loan Scheme: Eligibility, Challenges and Prospects,” held at the Prof. Lawal Abdu Saulawa Auditorium on the university’s take-off campus.
He said the scheme, which is a centrepiece of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was designed not only to cover tuition fees but also to provide monthly stipends to beneficiaries, ensuring that no student is forced to abandon their studies due to financial hardship.
“NELFUND’s commitment to inclusion means no student is left behind,” Sawyerr said, adding that the fund intended to build a support network capable of reaching students across every part of the country, regardless of their background or location.
The NELFUND chief also announced plans to improve the loan application process, shorten disbursement timelines, and explore innovative repayment models, urging students to apply and focus on their studies.
The visit was particularly welcomed by students, with the President of FUDMA’s Students’ Union Government, Muhammad Nasiru Imam, announcing that a significant number of students had received four months’ worth of accumulated upkeep allowances on the day of the visit.
Receiving the NELFUND delegation, Vice Chancellor Prof. Othman praised the scheme as a game changer for Nigerian education, noting that it had not only relieved parents of the burden of tuition and upkeep costs but had also boosted the university’s internally generated revenue.
He, however, cautioned students against spreading unverified information about NELFUND and the university on social media.
“The students are the mirror and image of the University,” he said. “If students describe the system that produces them as bad, it reflects on them as well.”
