The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has expressed concern over the low number of loan applications from students of Rivers State University.
NELFUND Managing Director, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, gave the indication during a Strategic Engagement and Sensitisation Campaign held Tuesday in Port Harcourt.
Sawyerr was represented at the event by the Director of Administration, Dr. Zino Ugboma.
He noted that although the primary goal of the visit was to deepen collaboration with the university, recent internal assessments highlighted a worrying trend of low student participation in the Fund’s offerings.
“Our records show a rather discouraging level of engagement from Rivers State University. While institutions like the University of Port Harcourt have seen around 3,000 applicants, Rivers State University has only about 1,500—this is significantly lower than expected,” he said.
The NELFund boss added that some institutions recorded as many as 4,000 applications, making the figure from Rivers State University notably low.
“This prompted the Managing Director to mandate this visit to understand the underlying challenges and engage directly with the university management,” he said.
Sawyerr emphasised the importance of open dialogue and joint action to address the situation.
“The funds are available. They’re meant to support students. We’re here to find out what the obstacles are and work together to overcome them,” he said.
Responding, the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, acknowledged the low student application and welcomed the engagement with NELFund.
Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Victor Akujuru, the Vice -Chancellor described the meeting as pivotal in strengthening relations between the university and NELFUND.
“We truly appreciate your concern and the initiative to check in on our performance. Admittedly, 1,500 applicants out of a student population of nearly 40,000 is troubling,” he said.
In a show of commitment to resolving the problem, he noted that the university had involved key officials in the meeting, including the Director of ICT and the Head of Student Affairs.
“This signals our resolve to confront the issue head-on. We’re ready to explain the challenges and to cooperate in finding solutions,” he added.
Contributing to the conversation, Director of ICT, Prof. Sunny Orike, highlighted procedural difficulties as a major hindrance, noting that many students were unable to navigate the multi-step application process.
“We’ve created platforms and designated a city centre space where students can access our systems. Our goal is to simplify and standardise the process,” Orike explained.
To bridge the gap, he said the university’s ICT team is working on a more structured system to guide students through each phase of the application. Dedicated personnel will also be on hand to provide real-time support.
“We’re taking proactive steps—tagging students, assisting with form completion, and ensuring they meet all requirements through better communication and monitoring,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of ongoing staff and student training, especially in adapting to digital and centralised systems.
On behalf of the student body, President of the Student Union Government, Rizi Owabie, reaffirmed the union’s support for the student loan initiative. He said awareness efforts have been underway, both formally and informally, but promised a more aggressive campaign moving forward.
“We’ve discussed the programme during student orientations and individual interactions. But we’ll ramp up efforts to ensure every student understands what’s at stake and how to benefit,” Owabie said.
