NELFUND introducing special software to assist students with disabilities

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says plans are underway to introduce specialised software to ensure that students with disabilities in higher institutions participate in the loan scheme.

Akintunde Sawyerre, the Managing Director of NELFUND, made this known during a stakeholders’ engagement on student loans in Benin City, Edo State.

Mr Sawyerr said the Act establishing the loan scheme guarantees equal opportunity for all, and the agency would collaborate with the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to ensure more inclusivity.

“We want to see how we can make it easier for those visually impaired so that they can apply for the loan. We are looking at a specific software we are going to use,” he said.

Mr Sawyerr described the initiative under President Bola Tinubu’s administration as a transformative step for education in Nigeria.

Addressing concerns about loan repayment in the event of a beneficiary’s death, he said the position of the law is that if the person dies, the loan would not be transferred to the family but would be “wiped out”.

Dennis Idahosa, Edo State Deputy Governor, commended the federal government for making the student loan scheme a reality.

“Let me also use this opportunity to thank the President of our dear country, President Bola Tinubu, for this initiative. Before now, many families went through a lot of challenges to be able to pay school fees for students across the country.

“We as a state government, by the grace of God, are going to collaborate with you for very aggressive sensitization to ensure that almost all the students in Edo State benefit from the student loan initiative,” he said.

The event brought together religious leaders, parents, persons with disabilities, government officials, teachers, and community representatives.

NELFUND is a pivotal financial institution established under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Act of 2024.

Signed into law by President Tinubu on April 3, 2024, the initiative aims to provide financial support to qualified Nigerian students, covering tuition, fees, and living expenses during their studies at approved tertiary institutions and vocational training centres within Nigeria.

As of February 17, 2025, NELFUND has disbursed approximately N22.7 billion, benefiting more than 215,000 students across various institutions for the 2023/2024 academic session.

The fund continues to expand its reach, onboarding additional state-owned institutions to ensure more students have access to financial support.

Writing by Patience Olumati; Editing by Oluwaseyi Ajibade and Tony Okerafor