Vice President Kashim Shettima has described the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a landmark initiative of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying it has provided financial relief to children from less-privileged backgrounds and helped remove financial barriers to higher education.
Shettima said the administration had positioned NELFUND as an important social equaliser and a tool for poverty alleviation and the advancement of education in Nigeria.
The Vice President stated this on Wednesday in Abuja when he received the management team of the University of Abuja, led by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi.
He said the scheme, which covers tuition fees and provides monthly upkeep allowances, was designed to support students from less-privileged backgrounds who might otherwise be unable to access tertiary education.
According to Shettima, the initiative has helped ensure that poverty does not prevent young Nigerians from pursuing higher education.
Recalling his days as a student at the University of Maiduguri when food prices increased at the cafeteria, he described NELFUND as a major intervention by the government.
“NELFUND is a very beautiful initiative by the leadership of this country under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, created to give respite breathing space to the children of the poor.”
Shettima also said Nigeria had crossed the rubicon and was firmly on the path of sustainable economic development under the Tinubu administration.
He cited recent upgrades to Nigeria’s sovereign credit ratings and outlooks by global rating agencies, attributing the development to stronger foreign exchange reserves, increased oil production, higher federal allocations following the removal of the oil subsidy and ongoing macroeconomic reforms under the Renewed Hope administration.
The Vice President commended the management of the University of Abuja under Prof. Fawehinmi, saying the Vice Chancellor had provided leadership that helped overcome challenges that previously confronted the institution.
Shettima said the University of Abuja was now on a solid pedestal, with stability restored, and pledged that the Federal Government would provide the institution with the necessary support within its capacity.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Fawehinmi, commended Shettima for his support and contribution to the growth and development of the Tinubu administration.
Fawehinmi described the Vice President as a mentor whose leadership qualities had assisted the university’s Governing Board in managing the institution and called for continued partnership between the university and government to advance the country.
“We have always known you to be a highly cerebral and dynamic leader. We appreciate the generous strides you are making in the country. We are not surprised at your intellectual agility,” he stated.
Fawehinmi said NELFUND, under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, had contributed significantly to bringing relative stability to Nigeria’s education sector, noting that students were now able to attend school and sustain their stay in their institutions.
He said the university management and Governing Council considered it necessary to appreciate the Vice President for the support he had consistently given to the institution.
“Our recent history in terms of leadership has not been very palatable. There have been issues to do with our checkered history, but in the last eight months when we came on board, we tried our very best to stabilize the university,” he explained.
Source: Presidency
