By John Dike, Osogbo
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has called on students across Osun State and the South-West to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), describing the initiative as a major intervention capable of easing the financial burden on parents and expanding access to higher education.
He made the call while receiving the Executive Director of Finance and Administration of Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Dr. Femi Akinfala, and top officials of the agency during a courtesy visit to the Ile Oodua Palace in Ile-Ife.
Speaking during the visit, Akinfala disclosed that Osun remains one of the leading states benefiting from the federal government’s student loan initiative, revealing that over 125,000 undergraduate students from the state are currently registered on the NELFUND portal, while about 57,000 have successfully applied for the scheme.
He added that more than N11 billion had already been disbursed to students in the state under the programme.
Akinfala commended Governor Ademola Adeleke for supporting the initiative, describing him as the first governor in the country to fully embrace the scheme.
According to him, the intervention introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was designed to ensure that no willing student is denied access to higher education due to financial constraints.
“Governor Ademola Adeleke is the first governor in Nigeria to embrace NELFUND. Today in Osun State, we have about 125,000 undergraduate students on our portal and 57,000 students have applied for the scheme,” Akinfala said.
“We have disbursed over N11 billion to students in Osun State. President Tinubu introduced this initiative to reduce the financial pressure on parents and help students achieve their academic dreams.”
The NELFUND official also appealed to the Ooni to help deepen awareness of the programme across the South-West, noting that traditional rulers remain influential voices at the grassroots.
Also speaking, the Lowa Adimula of Ile-Ife, Oba Joseph Adekola Adeyeye, urged parents and guardians to encourage their children and wards to utilise the opportunity rather than abandon their education because of financial difficulties.
He equally called on media organisations to intensify public enlightenment campaigns on the programme to ensure wider participation among eligible students nationwide.
In his remarks, the Ooni expressed concern that a large number of students in Osun State had yet to apply for the scheme despite registering on the portal.
“More than 60,000 students in Osun State are yet to apply for NELFUND despite being on the portal. It should not be so. Our children should not continue to burden their parents financially when such an opportunity exists,” the monarch said.
The Ooni further praised President Tinubu for introducing the initiative, describing NELFUND as a transformative programme that would positively impact access to education and reduce economic pressure on families.
“We have seen the impact of NELFUND and heard several success stories from beneficiaries. Thank you, President Tinubu, for prioritising education and making our children happy through this laudable initiative,” he added.
