The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, has met with the Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, to deliberate on expanding access to the Federal Government’s student loan scheme for eligible students from the state.
The meeting took place on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) state-by-state roundtable engagement for Benue State.
The engagement, convened by the Managing Director/CEO of REA, Mr. Abba Abubakar Aliyu, focused on accelerating private sector investment and strengthening the renewable energy ecosystem in Benue State. Discussions also underscored the importance of inter-agency collaboration in driving sustainable development, energy access and inclusive growth.
Speaking after the meeting, Sawyerr said discussions with the Benue State Governor centred on strengthening collaboration between the state government and NELFUND to ensure that students in tertiary institutions across the state fully benefit from the Federal Government’s interest-free education loan initiative.
He reaffirmed NELFUND’s commitment to removing financial barriers to higher education, noting that the student loan programme was designed to promote equity, inclusion and human capital development nationwide.
According to him, partnerships with state governments are critical to effective sensitisation, verification and uptake of the scheme.
Sawyerr observed that many eligible students were yet to take advantage of the loan due to limited awareness, adding that sub-national governments have a key role to play in grassroots mobilisation and institutional cooperation.
In his response, Governor Alia welcomed the initiative and expressed the readiness of the Benue State Government to collaborate with NELFUND to ensure that students from the state are adequately informed and supported in accessing the loan.
He described education as a cornerstone of sustainable development and pledged the state’s commitment to policies that ease the financial burden on parents and students.
The engagement forms part of NELFUND’s ongoing nationwide stakeholder consultations aimed at deepening awareness and improving the implementation of the student loan scheme across states and tertiary institutions.
NELFUND has continued to intensify sensitisation efforts nationwide as applications for the student loan scheme gain momentum among students in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
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