The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has launched a nationwide sensitisation campaign targeting civil servants, military personnel, police officers and immigration officials to expand awareness of its student loan scheme and help their children and dependants access higher education.
The campaign, according to NELFUND, will cover 34 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as military, police and immigration barracks across the country.
The Director of SERVICOM at NELFUND, Olusola Fowobaje, disclosed this during a sensitisation engagement with staff of the Ministry of Regional Development in Abuja.
Tagged the Roadshow, the initiative is designed to take information about the government’s educational financing opportunities directly to public sector workers, parents and guardians who may not be fully aware of the scheme.
Fowobaje explained that civil servants and security personnel were being targeted because they could play an important role in informing their children and dependants about the availability of student loans.
He said the exercise would begin with 34 ministries before extending to military formations, police barracks and immigration facilities nationwide.
“We have done one today, and it is tagged roadshow. We call it roadshow. It’s just another name for sensitisation. That is a door-to-door sensitisation in ministries. We are covering 34 ministries, and we would cover all the barracks, military barracks, police barracks, immigration, and what have you,” he said.
Explaining the benefits of the scheme, the NELFUND official said the student loan programme has two major components: institutional fees and upkeep allowances.
According to him, the institutional component covers approved school fees, while eligible beneficiaries also receive a monthly upkeep allowance of ₦20,000 to support their living expenses.
He said the scheme was designed to address financial difficulties that prevent qualified candidates from accessing higher education or force some students to abandon their studies.
Fowobaje also dismissed misconceptions surrounding the loan scheme, assuring prospective beneficiaries that accessing the government-backed facility would not prevent them from travelling or expose them to arrest.
He added that the application process was technology-driven, transparent and accessible, noting that applicants did not need personal connections or special intervention to obtain the loan.
The SERVICOM director said expanding access to educational financing would strengthen human capital development, improve productivity and contribute to addressing national challenges, including illiteracy and insecurity.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development, Mary Ada Ogbe, represented by the Acting Director of Community Development and Education, said the engagement was organised to provide ministry officials with detailed information about the student loan scheme.
She explained that the meeting, organised in collaboration with NELFUND, was intended to ensure that directors and heads of units understood the programme and could share the information with other employees.
According to her, the engagement marked the first phase of a wider sensitisation exercise that would subsequently be extended to other ministry staff.
Ogbe encouraged participants to seek clarification on issues concerning the scheme, assuring them of the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with NELFUND to promote wider awareness and participation.
She added that familiarising government workers with the programme would help eligible families access relevant information and guide their children and dependants towards available educational financing opportunities.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.