By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday played host to Zenith Bank founder and Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) Board Chairman, Jim Ovia, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Although no official details were released on the purpose of the meetings, Ovia’s presence at the. Ills would not be unconnected with the progress the Fund had been making to assist Nigerian students with study loans.
Ovia has chaired the NELFUND board since his appointment by Tinubu on April 26, 2024, less than three weeks after the President signed into law the Access to Higher Education Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Act, establishing the framework for the student-loan scheme.
NELFUND provides interest-free loans to eligible Nigerian students in tertiary institutions and vocational training programmes to cover approved educational expenses.
Applications are submitted voluntarily through the fund’s online platform, while repayment begins after beneficiaries graduate and secure employment, through income deductions subject to prescribed limits.
Same Tuesday evening in his office, President Tinubu also hosted Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Kurfi,
Details of the parley were also not made public but sources described it as a routine briefing by the Budget Office boss to the president.
