The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has expressed concern over the low number of student applications for its loan at the Rivers State University.
The Managing Director, NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, raised the concern during a Strategic Engagement and Sensitisation Campaign on operations of the Fund on Tuesday in Port Harcourt.
Sawyerr, represented by Dr Zino Ugboma, Director, Administration, NELFUND, said that only 1,500 applicants out of a nearly 40,000 student capacity in the school was troubling.
“Going through our records, we discovered something that is not too pleasant in relation to your university and we are here to have a talk with the management,” he said.
Sawyerr emphasised the need for collaboration to address the issue.
“We want to know what the problem is because the money is there and it is meant to be disbursed to these young people. Let us work together to solve this,” he said.
In comparison, he mentioned that the University of Port Harcourt had 3,000 applications.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, acknowledged the troubling gap and pledged to address the issue.
“The meeting marked a critical point in the relationship between the two institutions.
”We promise that both organisations would work collaboratively in the coming weeks to address the concerns raised,” he said.
The university’s Director of ICT, Professor Sunny Orike, said the application process involved multiple steps which many students failed to follow through.
“The unit would work with the students to address the challenge and bridge the gap,” he assured.
The President, Student Union Government (SUG), Rizi Owabie, reaffirmed the union’s support for the government-backed funding programme.
“We have disseminated information both formally and informally. We would intensify sensitisation campaign on the importance of the loan,” he said.
