NELFUND takes student loan sensitization to MDAs, security barracks

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has commenced a nationwide sensitization campaign targeting 34 Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, as well as military, police and immigration barracks, to increase awareness of its student loan scheme.

The Director of SERVICOM at NELFUND, Olusola Fowobaje, disclosed this during a sensitization event tagged 'Roadshow' engagement with civil servants at the Ministry of Regional Development in Abuja, explaining that the initiative was designed to bring information about the Fund's educational financing opportunities directly to government employees, parents and guardians.

He said the roadshow campaign would cover 34 ministries, with plans to extend the exercise to military formations, police and immigration barracks across the country.

According to him, the initiative is aimed at ensuring that civil servants are adequately informed about the loan scheme and can, in turn, educate their children and dependents who may require financial assistance to pursue higher education.

Fowobaje explained that the student loan program has two major components: institutional fees and upkeep allowances. While the institutional loan covers approved school fees, eligible beneficiaries also receive a monthly upkeep allowance of N20,000.

He said the engagement with MDAs was part of efforts to expand public awareness, address misconceptions surrounding government-backed loans and encourage more eligible Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Fund.

The SERVICOM director added that the sensitization campaign would not be restricted to Abuja, as NELFUND planned to extend the outreach to all regions of the country, including security barracks outside the Federal Capital Territory.

He noted that reaching civil servants and security personnel directly would help strengthen information dissemination and ensure that more families understand the availability and benefits of the student loan scheme.

Fowobaje said the nationwide initiative was part of NELFUND's broader commitment to promoting access to educational financing and reducing the financial barriers that prevent eligible Nigerian students from pursuing higher education.

“Well, let me put it this way: the managing director, the chief executive officer, part of his initiative, or let me say the management team, the executive management team, you know, is to move around, to sensitize, to bring these products, is our products a good product that is loaned to Nigerian students to the doorsteps of our neighbors, where we belong, that is MDAs, the ministries, the departments, and agencies. So, we've gone everywhere. There were the management staff all over Nigeria to sensitize people, tell them about Nigerian Education Loan Fund and the benefits, the objectives of this mandate.

“We've done one today, and it is tagged roadshow. We call it roadshow. It's just another name for sensitization. That is a door-to-door sensitization in ministries.

“We are covering 34 ministries, and he said further that we should cover all the barracks, cover all the barracks, military barracks, police barracks, immigration, and what have you. And we are doing that. We are much more than capable of handling that," he stated.

Fowobaje also dismissed misconceptions surrounding the scheme, explaining that beneficiaries would not be restricted from travelling or arrested simply because they accessed the government-backed loan.

He further assured prospective beneficiaries that the application process is technology-driven, transparent and accessible, noting that applicants do not require personal connections or special intervention to secure the facility.

The SERVICOM director said the ongoing sensitization campaign was designed to take information about the Fund directly to government institutions and ensure that civil servants inform their children and dependents about the available educational financing opportunities.

He added that the initiative was aimed at addressing financial barriers responsible for students dropping out of school, while promoting equitable access to quality education and reducing the number of Nigerians denied educational opportunities because of financial constraints.

Fowobaje said improving access to education financing would contribute to national development by strengthening human capital, increasing productivity and addressing challenges associated with illiteracy and insecurity.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mary Ada Ogbe, represented by the Acting Director of Community Development and Education, said the engagement was initiated to provide ministry officials with comprehensive information about the education loan scheme and its benefits.

She explained that the meeting, organized in collaboration with NELFUND, was part of efforts to ensure that directors and heads of units understood the scheme and were adequately equipped to disseminate the information to other staff members.

According to her, the engagement represents the first phase of a broader sensitization exercise, which will subsequently be extended to other employees across the ministry.

She noted that the ministry considered it important to familiarize its leadership and workforce with the scheme to enable eligible staff members to access relevant information and guide their children and dependents on available educational financing opportunities.

The Permanent Secretary urged participants to take advantage of the engagement by seeking clarification on issues relating to the scheme, while expressing the ministry's readiness to work with NELFUND to ensure wider awareness and participation.

NELFUND takes student loan sensitization to MDAs, security barracks