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KATSINA — The Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund has taken its nationwide campaign on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to Katsina, with students across the North-West urged to take advantage of the Federal Government’s education financing initiative.
The sensitisation programme, held at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU), Katsina, brought together students and education stakeholders from the seven North-West states as part of efforts to deepen awareness and improve access to the student loan scheme.
The programme was organised by the Senate committee in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Technical and Vocational Education.
Before the event, the committee chairman, Senator Muntari Mohammed Dandutse, and other members of the delegation paid a courtesy visit to Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, at the Government House.
Speaking during the sensitisation programme, Governor Radda described NELFUND as a significant intervention capable of removing financial barriers that prevent many young Nigerians from pursuing higher education.
He said the Katsina State Government had also sustained efforts to keep students informed about educational opportunities through the Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Matters, the Katsina State Scholarship Board and the annual Katsina Students’ Week.
According to him, his administration has placed education and human capital development at the centre of its development agenda, with increased funding for scholarships and other student-support initiatives.
Radda disclosed that the state government had doubled scholarship allowances and committed billions of naira to scholarship programmes over the past three years.
He said beneficiaries had also been supported to pursue specialised programmes both within Nigeria and abroad, including Medicine and Surgery, Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology.
The governor stressed that initiatives such as NELFUND could complement state-level interventions by ensuring that students from financially disadvantaged families are not forced to abandon their education because of economic hardship.
Earlier, Senator Dandutse explained that the delegation’s visit was part of its oversight responsibilities, as well as an effort to educate students, institutions and other stakeholders on how the NELFUND scheme works.
The senator commended Governor Radda for what he described as his administration’s strong commitment to education and human capital development.
He also acknowledged the governor’s role in supporting the establishment of the Federal University of Medical Sciences, Funtua, saying such investments would strengthen the region’s educational and healthcare sectors.
Dandutse assured students and stakeholders that the Senate committee would continue engaging governments and tertiary institutions across the seven North-West states to promote educational development and expand the number of beneficiaries of NELFUND.
He said the sensitisation campaign was aimed at ensuring that eligible students are properly informed and able to access the opportunities provided by the Federal Government.
Among the lawmakers at the event were Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Senator Ibrahim Khalid, Senator Ahmed Abdulhamid Malam Madori, Senator Kelvin Chukwu, Senator Professor Francis Fadahunsi and Senator Professor Anthony Ani, among others.
The Katsina engagement is expected to further boost awareness of NELFUND among students in the North-West and encourage eligible beneficiaries to explore the scheme as a means of financing their tertiary education.
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