Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Thursday praised President Bola Tinubu over the creation of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, initiative.
Aiyedatiwa stated this when the Managing Director, MD, of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, and his management staff paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Akure.
The student loan initiative is a programme established by the Federal Government to break financial barriers in higher education.
The governor said the initiative would help the country’s teeming youth population gain easier access to formal education.
He noted that Nigerians were more familiar with bursaries, which he described as gifts to students, but said the loan initiative was better, as repayments are interest-free and made at stipulated times.
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Aiyedatiwa urged the agency to intensify publicity across tertiary institutions to ensure adequate awareness among students who genuinely need the support.
“This initiative is another opportunity to make it possible for all to obtain a university degree through this platform. You are making history with this initiative.
“A lot of our youths will benefit from this. They do not need to know anybody, and that is the way the programme is operating. We just have to educate them and give them awareness,” he said.
Earlier, the Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, said the initiative was designed to allow Nigerian youths to get educated without excessive financial stress.
He said Ondo State was the first state to be visited under the programme, adding that the agency was monitoring the state’s progress in enrolment and engagement.
Sawyerr solicited Aiyedatiwa’s advice on improving the initiative, noting that all ideas were welcome.
He later presented the state’s progress report to the governor.
NAN
