- Tinubu met Jim Ovia and NELFUND CEO in Abuja
- The purpose of the meeting was not disclosed
- NELFUND has disbursed over ₦303 billion to students
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday met with the founder of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia, and the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Dr. Akintunde Sawyerr, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the two officials arrived at the State House at about 5:15 p.m., with Ovia, who currently chairs the NELFUND Board, accompanying Sawyerr to the meeting.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not disclosed the purpose of the meeting.
Tinubu appointed Ovia as Chairman of the NELFUND Board on April 26, 2024, shortly after signing the Access to Higher Education Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) into law. The legislation established Nigeria’s interest-free student loan scheme to improve access to higher education.
Sawyerr, who was appointed the pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND on April 5, 2024, has overseen the implementation of the programme since its inception.
According to NELFUND, the student loan initiative has so far disbursed more than ₦303 billion to over 1.64 million students in more than 300 tertiary institutions across the country.
Although Ovia stepped down as Founder and Group Chairman of Zenith Bank in May, he has remained actively involved in the education sector through the Jim Ovia Foundation and his role as founder and chancellor of James Hope University in Lekki, Lagos.
The meeting comes amid the Federal Government’s continued efforts to expand access to higher education through the student loan programme, which is one of the key education reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.
