The National Education Fund has noted that students from the north tops the list in the ongoing disbursement of funds. This was mentioned by the Managing Director of the scheme, Dr Akintunde Sawyerr on Wednesday during the launch of the loan disbursement at the Presidential Villa.
He discussed that more students from the North applied for the loans owing to better coordination by tertiary institutions in the region, while the south remained sceptical and doubted its viability. He said:
“In the southern part of the country, there’s growing awareness and interest. There’s been a lot of scepticism, and I think the most sceptical parts of the country are in the South; they question everything: Is it true? Is it real? Is it a scam?
“And I think what you witnessed today with us actually starting this disbursement programme is to say that ‘this is not NO FUND. This is NELFUND.’
“The zones with the highest, I can say to you that institutions in the North of the country have been very proactive at supporting and helping their students and providing their data to us,” Sawyerr said.
He guaranteed that the early scepticism among Nigerians would clear as more loans were disbursed, and attributed networking in the north as the main reason for their interest.
“So, that’s where the leaning is currently. But that high adoption in the North is to be expected because they seem very well organised in terms of networking in the northern part of the country.
“So, I think we’ll see the scepticism that you can find mainly in the southern part begin to disappear when we start paying out,” he added.
Although Sawyerr had assured that NELFUND was playing its part to raise awareness in the South so students in the region would embrace the scheme when disbursements begin, it might also be a case of misinformation and disinformation that prevents students in the South from applying for the loan.
He also revealed that more university students had applied for loans than students of polytechnics and colleges of education.
He stated: “We’re trying to ensure that people know this is not a trick, it’s not a game. Mr. President has backed this with cash and we’re going to disburse that cash.
“In terms of the three levels of institutions, the universities are the ones with the highest demand for the loans, then I think it’s followed by the polytechnics and then the teacher training colleges and I think it’s probably going to remain that way, the bias is going to remain that way.”
In April 2024, President Tinubu signed into law the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2024.
In an explainer issued earlier, the Presidency said the new law replaces the repealed Student Loan Act, 2023, which, it said, had some challenges bordering on governance and management, purpose of the loans, eligibility criteria for applicants, method of application, repayment provisions and loan recovery.
The Act seeks to encourage sustainable higher education and functional skill development for all Nigerian students and youths.
The prompt disbursement and enlightenment would encourage students from all spheres and all levels to apply for students’ loans.
