Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Students’ Engagements, Sunday Asefon, has said the introduction of Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) codenamed students’ loan has helped in dismantling the monsters of poverty, illiteracy and school dropout among Nigerian youth.
Asefon, former President, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), said with over N100 billion spent to give soft loan to students, that university education has now become accessible to students from poor backgrounds.
The presidential aide said this on Saturday while distributing free Joint Admission and Matriculation Board(JAMB) forms to 500 indigenes of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State Capital.
He said the generous donation would afford the indigent beneficiaries to partake in the forthcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination(UTME).
At the occasion, Asefon revealed that five of the beneficiaries, who emerged best in the UTME, will be given scholarship in the tertiary institution through support from the son of the President, Mr. Seyi Tinubu, while others who performed well will be given computer laptops as a motivation.
Asefon added that Tinubu perceives education remains the most powerful tool for both personal and national development and veracious opportunity to eliminate poverty in the system.
He said the foregoing accounted for why President Tinubu initiated the establishment of the NELFUND to provide student with soft loans to finance tertiary education, saying he is not only investing in the future of these students, but also strengthening the foundation of the nation’s progress.
According to him, ” This initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in ensuring that no deserving Nigerian youth is denied access to education due to financial constraints.
“I commend the efforts of all stakeholders who continue to support students’ welfare and educational advancement. It is our collective responsibility to create opportunities for young Nigerians to thrive academically and contribute meaningfully to society.
“This is just one of many interventions designed to ensure that our students receive the necessary support to excel. I assure Nigerian students of my unwavering commitment to championing their cause and advocating for policies that prioritize their educational needs.”
Speaking further he urged the students to ensure they access the loan anytime the opportunity beckons to further their education.
Asefon, a native of Ado Ekiti and graduate of Ekiti State University, revealed that 50 out of the forms would be distributed to the SS3 students of Ado Grammar School, his alma mater, while the remaining 450 will be distributed to beneficiaries drawn from Ado Local Government.
The former Students’ leader asserted that his action was part of the ways to checkmate illiteracy and ensure that no youth is inhibited from attaining tertiary education on account of poverty, which was also a vision of Tinubu’s government.
Exposing his humble background, Asefon, said: “After my secondary school education, my late mother had to sell some of her personal belongings to purchase a JAMB Form for me that I wrote to gain Admission to EKSU.
“If my mother could go to that extent, there is nothing wrong for me to purchase free JAMB forms for people to gain Admission. Today, we have the opportunity of Nigerian Loan Fund(NELFUND) called education loan, if many of us had the same opportunity, many couldn’t have dropped out of school the way they did. The loan is interest free.
“I know that your future will be great. Anytime God establishes your feet, please, make sure you give back to society. In the next ten years, many of you will be employers of labour. You will be okay and you need to pay back in the interest of our society.
“Don’t bother about your backgrounds, you can be governor and President tomorrow. My late parents were not educated, but today, I am a pride to Ekiti and Nigeria. You can also be pride as well. Chart a good course for your lives and it will be greater for you, depending on your determination and focus.
“This year is 500, next year will be in thousands. But it is you that will encourage me. If you read your books and perform well, I will do better in this programme. Please, be focused and serious with your studies.
“Let me emphasize again, this initiative is aimed at supporting academically gifted but financially disadvantaged students in their pursuit of higher education and not for political reason,” he said.
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