Education
Gbajabiamila calls for establishment of Education Bank, students loan scheme

By Matthew Eloyi
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has called for the establishment of an Education Bank and a Students Loan Scheme that will provide interest-free loans to students in tertiary institutions so as to make funding education at that level convenient for all.
He made the call on Monday while delivering the 52nd convocation lecture of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
The lecture was themed: “Building back better: Creating a new framework for tertiary education in Nigeria in the 21st Century.” He said in that regard, he had sponsored a bill titled: ‘Students Loans (Access to Higher Education Bill)’ in the National Assembly.
Gbajabiamila stated that as a lawmaker and politician, one of the most frequent requests he always received was funding for tertiary education, as the future of bright students could be in jeopardy.
In his words, “The bill sets to provide interest- free loans to students. The repayment of these loans shall commence two years after the completion of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme. However, we must all understand that public support for any such system will depend significantly on the tertiary institutions themselves.
“The Ninth House of Representatives has education as one of its key areas of focus in its legislative agenda. We have for instance taken active steps to upgrade many of our public institutions, elevating some colleges of education to universities of education among others.”
He decried the current practice of universities depending on subventions and allocations from government, noting that it was grossly inadequate and archaic.
He called for synergy between universities and industries as being done in advanced nations which is yielding good fruits.
While not saying funding is a big challenge in Nigeria’s education sector, the Speaker opined that coming up with circular that would help produce graduates fit for the global market was a top need.
He added that the world has changed and that the country must make strident efforts not to be left behind.
“For Nigerian citizens to thrive in this new world, participate fully and productively in the new global economy and benefit from it rather than be consumed by the technological advancements that are changing our world, tertiary education in Nigeria must be prepared to embrace reinvention and adapt to disruption, ” he stated.
Education
NELFUND Begins Upkeep Payments to Over 3,600 Students After Bank Detail Update

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has commenced the disbursement of upkeep payments to students who successfully updated their bank account details from digital wallets to commercial bank accounts.
This was announced in a statement released on Friday in Abuja by the Director of Strategic Communications of the Fund, Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.
Oluwatuyi described the development as a significant breakthrough in addressing earlier disbursement delays.
“Over 3,600 students, who previously registered with digital-only banking platforms, have now successfully received their backlog of upkeep payments after updating their details to conventional commercial bank accounts on the NELFUND portal,” she stated.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of all affected students during this period. Your resilience and cooperation have made this progress possible,” she added.
The NELFUND spokesperson advised students who have yet to update their bank details to raise a support ticket via the official NELFUND portal to request access for the update.
She further urged affected students to report through the IT office of their respective institutions, which would compile and forward all related cases to NELFUND for prompt resolution.
“NELFUND remains committed to ensuring that no eligible student is left behind. This resolution process is part of our broader effort to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and student-centered delivery of our support services,” she said.
Oluwatuyi encouraged students to continue engaging only through official NELFUND channels and to assist their peers who may need help navigating the update process.
She also provided contact options for inquiries, stating that the fund can be reached via email at info@nelf.gov.ng or through its official social media handles: X (formerly Twitter) @nelfund; Instagram @nelfund; and Facebook & LinkedIn: Nigerian Education Loan Fund – NELFUND.
Education
NELFUND Urges Institutions to Upload Student Data for Loan Processing

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has issued a directive to all accredited tertiary institutions to verify and upload their students’ data on the newly digitised Student Loan Application System (SLAS).
This was disclosed in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday by the Director of Strategic Communications at NELFUND, Mrs Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.
According to Oluwatuyi, the SLAS platform has been fully digitised to streamline and accelerate the student loan processing experience for both institutions and applicants.
“With this upgrade, all accredited institutions are now required to request access to SLAS to verify and upload student data related to loan applications,” she said.
She described the move as “a critical step that ensures the timely processing and disbursement of approved student loans.”
Institutions that have not yet been onboarded onto the system, she said, are advised to send an access request to registration@nelf.gov.ng without delay.
“Once granted access, institutions will be able to view a real-time dashboard of their students’ loan applications, verify submitted data, and track the status of each application,” Oluwatuyi explained.
She called on all institutions to take immediate action in the interest of their students, stressing that verification and data upload by institutions are mandatory steps before final approval and disbursement of loans can be completed.
On the students’ side, Oluwatuyi noted that if an application status currently shows “Verified,” it means the application has passed initial checks. However, final approval and disbursement depend on the institutions’ confirmation and data upload.
“Once this process is completed, your status will be updated to ‘Disbursed’ when the payment of your fees has been processed,” she added.
She also encouraged students to reach out to the fund for assistance via email at info@nelf.gov.ng.
Other official communication channels include:
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X (formerly Twitter): @nelfund
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Instagram: @nelfund
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Facebook & LinkedIn: Nigerian Education Loan Fund – NELFUND
Education
NUC grants ESUT full accreditation for Law, 7 other programmes

The National Universities Commission, (NUC), has given full accreditation to the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), for her Law programme.
According to the Public Relations Officer of ESUT, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, this is contained in a letter addressed to the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aloysius Okolie, on Wednesday in Enugu by the NUC.
Ani said that in the letter, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu said the report was contained in the result of the October/November 2024 accreditation of academic programmes in Nigerian universities.
Ani disclosed that other programmes in the institution accredited by the NUC include Master of Science in Business Management; Education Computer Science; Education Physics and Agricultural Engineering.
Other accredited programmes he said were Quantity Surveying; Urban and Regional Planning; and Applied Microbiology.
He said that the letter quoted Section 10 (1) of the Education National Minimum Standard and Establishment of Institutions, Act CAP E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 as empowering the NUC to lay down minimum academic standards for all academic programmes taught in Nigerian universities.
He said the session also empowers the NUC to accredit such programmes.
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