- Tinubu Urges Students to Embrace AI, Innovation as NELFUND Disburses ₦282bn
- Processes 1.5m Applications
- Promises More Support for Students as South-East Records Lowest Student Loan Applications
President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to equipping Nigerian students with digital skills and expanding access to higher education as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) disclosed that it has disbursed ₦282 billion to students and tertiary institutions nationwide.
Eko Hot Blog reports that being represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Students’ Engagement, Sunday Asefon, the President spoke during the Renewed Hope Student Leaders’ Engagement and Digital Acceleration Programme for the South-East held at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.
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Tinubu said the Renewed Hope Agenda places students and young people at the centre of national development, describing Nigeria’s youthful population as the country’s greatest asset.
He said the Federal Government is implementing policies aimed at removing barriers to quality education while equipping young Nigerians with the skills needed to compete in a technology-driven world.
According to him, students must embrace emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software development, data analytics and digital marketing to remain globally competitive.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that Nigerian students are not mere consumers of technology but creators of solutions, innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who will drive the digital ecosystem,” Asefon said on behalf of the President.
He also urged student leaders across the South-East to promote integrity, accountability, unity and peaceful coexistence in their institutions.
Speaking at the event, NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, revealed that the Fund has received about 1.7 million loan applications, processed approximately 1.5 million and disbursed ₦282 billion to beneficiaries across the country.
He explained that more than ₦183 billion had been paid directly to tertiary institutions as tuition fees, while nearly ₦98 billion had been disbursed to students as monthly upkeep allowances.
Sawyerr, however, expressed concern over the low participation of students from the South-East, describing the region as the geopolitical zone with the fewest applications for the student loan scheme.
He encouraged students in the region to take advantage of the interest-free loan programme, assuring them that repayment would only begin after securing employment and would be suspended if a beneficiary loses their job.
“The President has made it clear that nobody should drop out of school because of lack of funds,” he said.
Sawyerr also assured students that accessing the loan would not affect their chances of travelling abroad for further education or employment.
Also speaking, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, represented by the Public Relations Officer of the Projects Development Institute, Dr. Ijeoma Eze, urged students to embrace innovation as a pathway to national development.
He highlighted Federal Government initiatives such as NELFUND, HOPE-EDU, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), Universal Basic Education reforms and the Nigerian Learning Passport as programmes designed to equip young Nigerians with globally competitive skills.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Achi of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, encouraged students to apply knowledge to solving real-life challenges, stressing that innovation remains critical to personal and national development.
The programme attracted more than 2,000 students, academics, innovators and development partners from across the South-East.
A major highlight of the event was the exhibition of student innovations, including an electric tricycle and a teacher attendance monitoring device developed by students of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu. Outstanding participants were also recognised with awards and other incentives.
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