- Oyedele urged parents to confirm if their children applied for NELFUND
- He said students can receive up to N1.5m in support
- The minister said NELFUND uptake is higher in the North
Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele has suggested that some Nigerian students may have accessed loans and other financial support from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund without informing their parents.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that Oyedele made the comment during a media briefing in Abuja while responding to a participant who said his three children in tertiary institutions had not benefited from NELFUND and did not know anyone who had received the support.
The minister advised the parent to first confirm whether his children had applied for the programme before concluding that they had not benefited.
He jokingly suggested that the students might have received the money without telling their father.
Oyedele said parents whose children had not applied should encourage them to take advantage of the scheme, stressing that the government had made the application process accessible.
He also highlighted the benefits available to students under the programme, explaining that NELFUND support goes beyond the payment of tuition and includes living stipends.
According to him, beneficiaries can receive financial assistance of up to N1.5 million, with the support provided without interest.
The minister pointed to videos of students celebrating after receiving payments as evidence that the programme was providing relief to beneficiaries, particularly amid the rising cost of living.
He therefore encouraged parents who were uncertain about their children’s participation to request evidence of applications and assist them with the process where necessary.
Oyedele said applications could be made through the NELFUND platform, while parents who encountered difficulties could seek assistance from the Ministry of Finance.
He stressed that eligible students should be encouraged to apply rather than depend solely on information from their parents or friends.
The minister also disclosed that participation in the student funding scheme was currently higher in northern Nigeria than in the southern part of the country.
He attributed the difference partly to what he described as greater scepticism toward government programmes in the South.
Oyedele said the government had received indications that students who completed the application process were receiving notifications confirming their payments.
He recalled his previous experience supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds through a personal foundation, saying some beneficiaries initially continued to approach him for financial assistance even after he had directed them to available government support.
According to him, some of those students later confirmed that they had applied and received payment alerts.
Oyedele urged parents and students to verify the available opportunities and make use of the NELFUND scheme instead of assuming that the programme was inaccessible or unavailable.
He maintained that the initiative was designed to ease the financial burden on students and their families by providing support for education and basic living expenses
