By: Adelowo Oladipo, Minna
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has called for the expansion of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme to cover all tertiary institutions nationwide, saying the move would widen access to higher education for students from less privileged backgrounds.
The governor made the call on Tuesday when he received members of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), led by its Chairman, Senator Mohammed Dandutse Muktari, who paid a courtesy visit to him at the Government House, Minna.
The governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for introducing NELFUND, describing the initiative as a laudable intervention capable of enabling students from financially disadvantaged families to pursue tertiary education without being hindered by financial constraints.
He said student loan schemes had been successfully implemented in several developed countries, stressing the need for Nigeria to strengthen NELFUND and ensure that students in all tertiary institutions could benefit from it.
Bago also commended TETFund for its contributions to the development of tertiary education, particularly through interventions in infrastructure, teaching facilities and other critical areas of higher institutions.
He urged the Federal Government to sustain and strengthen TETFund interventions, assuring that the Niger State Government would continue to support initiatives aimed at improving tertiary education in the state.
The governor further expressed appreciation to the Senate committee for selecting Niger State as part of its oversight engagements, describing the visit as an opportunity to assess the needs and challenges confronting tertiary institutions in the state.
Earlier, Muktari said the delegation was in Niger State as part of the committee’s oversight responsibilities and engagements with tertiary institutions across the North-Central region.
He said the committee would visit universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the state to assess their needs and identify areas requiring further intervention, particularly in infrastructure and institutional development.
According to him, the exercise was also designed to strengthen collaboration among the National Assembly, TETFund and tertiary institutions towards improving the quality and accessibility of higher education in the country .
