The Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has called on students across Osun State and the South-West region to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), describing the initiative as a major relief for parents and a transformative step toward expanding access to higher education.
The monarch made the appeal while receiving the Executive Director of Finance and Administration of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Dr. Femi Akinfala, and other officials of the agency during a courtesy visit to the Ile Oodua Palace in Ile-Ife.
Speaking during the visit, Akinfala disclosed that Osun State remains one of the leading beneficiaries of the loan scheme, with over 125,000 undergraduate students currently registered on the NELFUND portal and about 57,000 students having successfully applied for the programme.
He revealed that more than ₦11 billion had already been disbursed to students in the state under the scheme introduced by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, the initiative was designed to ease the financial burden on parents and ensure that no willing student is denied access to higher education because of lack of funds.
Akinfala also commended Ademola Adeleke for supporting the programme, describing him as the first governor in Nigeria to fully embrace the initiative.
“The Constitution of Nigeria has clear roles for traditional rulers. We have come to seek the support of the Ooni because of his influence at the grassroots. We want Kabiyesi to help us take this awareness campaign across the South-West,” he said.
Also speaking, the Lowa Adimula of Ile-Ife, Joseph Adekola Adeyeye, urged parents and guardians to encourage their children and wards to take advantage of the loan scheme instead of abandoning their education due to financial challenges.
In his remarks, the Ooni expressed concern that a large number of eligible students in Osun State had yet to apply for the programme despite being registered on the portal.
“Over 60,000 students in Osun State have not applied for NELFUND out of over 125,000 students in the state. It should not be so. Our children should not continue to burden their parents financially when such opportunity exists,” the monarch said.
The traditional ruler further praised President Tinubu for introducing the initiative, noting that the programme has already recorded positive impact through several success stories from beneficiaries across the country.
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