NELFUND to launch software for students with disabilities

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has revealed plans to introduce specialized software to ensure that students with disabilities in higher institutions can fully access and benefit from its loan scheme.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, announced this initiative during a stakeholders’ engagement on student loans held in Benin City, Edo State.

He stressed that the Act establishing the loan scheme ensures equal opportunities for all students. He also noted that NELFUND will work alongside the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to promote inclusivity.

“We want to see how we can make it easier for those visually impaired so that they can actually apply for the loan. We are looking at a specific software we are going to use,” Sawyerr said.

Addressing concerns about loan repayment in the event of a beneficiary’s death, Sawyerr clarified that if a loan recipient passes away, the debt is not transferred to their family or any other individual but is completely cancelled.

“The law says that, if the very person dies, that loan is not transferred to the family or anyone else. The loan is wiped out,” he said.

The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, described the scheme as almost free due to its zero-interest nature.

He explained that repayment would only commence two years after completing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and once beneficiaries secure employment, with deductions set at 10% of their salary.

The commissioner praised NELFUND’s Managing Director for his dedication to promoting the loan scheme across Edo State’s three senatorial districts and nationwide.

He assured that the government, under Governor Monday Okpebholo’s leadership, would make every effort to guarantee the success of the program.

Sawyerr reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making tertiary education accessible to all Nigerians.

“President Bola Tinubu came up with this initiative that no Nigerian student anywhere in Nigeria should be deprived of the opportunity to gain tertiary education because of lack of money.

“In order to actualize this vision, he set up this agency, Nigeria Education Loan Fund. He has funded it, he has put political will behind it, having created a structure through an Act of Parliament that effectively says that we are to go and look for these students, those who are about to drop out, those who are considering not furthering after secondary level, that we should look for them and if money is their issue, we should try to solve it. We’ve been doing that,” he added.

Edo State Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, commended the Federal Government for implementing the student loan scheme.

“Let me also use this opportunity to thank the President of our dear country, President Bola Tinubu, for this initiative. Because before now, many families go through a lot of challenges to be able to pay school fees for students across the country.

“The thanks also go to my former boss, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. In the 9th Assembly, this bill was sponsored by him and was assented by the President, and that is what gave this opportunity to Nigerian students to be able to pay school fees,” he said.

Idahosa pledged the state government’s support in ensuring broad awareness and accessibility for students in Edo State.

Akintunde Sawyerr, Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), assured students that beneficiaries of the loan scheme would not be restricted from traveling abroad after graduation.

Sawyerr clarified that the law does not prevent beneficiaries from seeking employment in any country. He emphasized that obtaining a loan from NELFUND does not mean students are confined to Nigeria.

However, he advised students to take responsibility for repaying their loans, even if they secure jobs overseas.