The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has revealed the data showing student loan applicants by state of origin.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had in July launched NELFUND.
The revised Student Loan Act 2024 was signed to remove financial barriers and make education more accessible to all Nigerian students regardless of their economic background.
The loans cover tuition, fees and maintenance costs. The repayment process starts two years after the beneficiary completes the NYSC programme.
The federal government recently allocated over N2.5 billion in student loans to over 22,000 students nationwide, with institutions in the Southeast notably absent from the list of beneficiaries.
Students from Kano and Borno States have emerged as the frontrunners in the NELFUND student loan applications.
Kano State recorded 17,122 applications out of 20,814 registered tertiary students.
Borno State followed closely with 13,798 students applying for the loan out of 16,353 registered students.
These figures were shared on NELFUND’s X account, highlighting the distribution of registered students and subsequent loan applicants by state of origin.
Benue State ranked third, with 11,754 of its 16,127 registered students applying for the student loan.
Oyo State saw 14,086 students register, with 8,990 moving forward with the application process.
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In Kaduna State, 13,873 students registered, and 10,380 proceeded to apply.
Katsina State had 13,538 students register, of which 10,952 eventually applied.
Osun State registered 13,368 students, with 8,093 applying for the loan.
Kogi State saw 12,675 students register for the NELFUND student loan, with 8,400 of them proceeding to apply.
In Plateau State, 11,624 students registered, and 9,328 of them went on to submit their loan applications.
Adamawa State had 11,219 students register, of which 8,977 successfully applied for the loan.
Kwara State recorded 11,126 registrations, with 7,645 students applying for the loan.
In Taraba State, 10,699 students registered for the student loan, and 8,668 of them proceeded to apply.
Yobe State had 10,398 students register, with 8,966 going on to apply for the loan.
Ogun State saw 10,387 registrations, with 5,943 students moving forward with the application.
Akwa Ibom State recorded 9,594 registrations, with 6,525 students applying for the loan.
In Bauchi State, 8,358 students registered, and 6,517 applied for the student loan.
By Alao Abiodun
