NELFUND pumps ₦850M into 6,507 UNIJOS students’ futures

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disbursed ₦850,345,000 to 6,507 students at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) as part of its ongoing Student Loan Programme.

The agency announced this on its official X account.

This follows an earlier disbursement of ₦941,404,000 to approximately 7,000 UNIJOS students in the 2023/2024 academic session, reinforcing the university’s position as a top recipient of NELFUND funds.

The latest allocation, disclosed on July 18, 2025, supports tuition fees and upkeep allowances for eligible students, aligning with NELFUND’s mission to remove financial barriers to higher education.

Established under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act of 2024, NELFUND provides interest-free loans to Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions, with repayments beginning two years after National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) completion.

UNIJOS Vice-Chancellor Professor Tanko Ishaya confirmed receipt of the funds, noting their role in streamlining the university’s operations. “Receiving the student loan funds in bulk has greatly facilitated our management and operational processes,” he said during a sensitization meeting in Jos.

The university has implemented a dedicated mechanism to ensure transparent handling of NELFUND disbursements, addressing earlier concerns about delays and miscommunication

NELFUND’s broader efforts have seen ₦73.1 billion disbursed to 366,247 students across 206 institutions as of July 16, 2025, with ₦38.26 billion allocated for institutional fees and ₦34.85 billion for upkeep allowances.

The agency has urged institutions to promptly update student data on its portal to avoid delays, emphasizing transparency in the disbursement process.