NELFUND Loan, Others Draw Student Support For Tinubu In Zamfara

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) student-loan scheme has been cited among federal government interventions in education as the JAGABA/DAUDA Students’ Mandate 2027, Zamfara State chapter, mobilises students across tertiary institutions in the state.

The group, which unveiled its Campus Ambassadors initiative, said the NELFUND scheme was one of the programmes through which the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration had supported Nigerian students.

Speaking at the launch, the convener, Comrade Bilyaminu Badarawa, said the initiative would engage students on education programmes and interventions at the federal and state levels.

He said the group was particularly interested in making students aware of programmes affecting their education and future.

Badarawa said, “We are here to launch a movement that will engage students with the developments taking place in the education sector. Our Campus Ambassadors will take this message to campuses across Zamfara, engage their fellow students and ensure that young people are properly informed about the programmes and interventions affecting their education and future.”

The group said NELFUND had processed more than 1.6 million student-loan applications and disbursed over N322 billion as of August 2026.

It described the student-loan scheme as one of the major education initiatives of the Tinubu administration, alongside investments in technical and vocational education and training, research, infrastructure and institutional support.

Badarawa also cited support for tertiary institutions in Zamfara, including the Federal University Gusau and Federal University of Health Sciences, Tsafe.

He further mentioned TETFund infrastructure projects, research and innovation grants, and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) intervention framework as other federal education programmes.

On the state government’s interventions, Badarawa cited Governor Dauda Lawal’s declaration of a state of emergency in education in November 2023.

He said the state government had reported the reconstruction, renovation and equipping of more than 500 public schools, provision of over 12,000 two-seater desks and recruitment of 2,000 teachers.

According to him, the state government also paid N1.4 billion to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and N320.7 million to the National Examinations Council (NECO) in outstanding examination debts.

He said the government had also paid for the 2024 WAEC examination for public-school students and distributed 408,137 teaching and learning materials.

Badarawa further cited the state’s school-feeding programme, support for Zamfara students whose university certificates had reportedly been withheld over unpaid fees, and reforms in state-owned tertiary institutions.

The group said the newly inaugurated Campus Ambassadors would undertake grassroots mobilisation, voter education and engagement with students on education-related programmes and developments.

“We cannot afford to return to a past where examination results were withheld, teachers were unpaid and classrooms collapsed. The JAGABA/DAUDA STUDENTS’ MANDATE 2027 is committed to ensuring that the voices of Zamfara students are heard and their interests protected,” Badarawa said.

The group said the initiative would mobilise students across tertiary institutions in Zamfara State to support Tinubu and Lawal in the 2027 elections.