NELFUND is real,RHGN leader Ngoforo tells Southeast students
* Says poverty should not prevent tertiary education * Urges support for Tinubu's re-election
The Deputy National Leader (Southeast) of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN), Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, has urged students across the Southeast to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), describing the scheme as real, functional and accessible. He maintained that no qualified young person should be denied tertiary education because of financial hardship.
Ngoforo made the call at the weekend while receiving a delegation of students’ union leaders from tertiary institutions across the Southeast, shortly after a meeting with the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Mohammed Doro.
Addressing the student leaders, he urged them to return to their campuses and communities with the message that the Tinubu administration’s NELFUND initiative has removed major financial barriers to higher education, particularly for students from low-income families.
He noted that the modern global economy is driven by knowledge, innovation and digital technology, making quality education indispensable for both national development and individual success. According to him, the Igbo people have long embraced education and the liberalisation of knowledge as pathways to prosperity, citing the traditional apprenticeship system and the region’s growing reputation in digital innovation as evidence of that culture.
Ngoforo said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s education loan policy aligns with the Southeast’s enduring commitment to learning and has removed poverty as a valid excuse for any qualified student to miss out on tertiary education.
He, however, expressed concern over reports from some tertiary institutions indicating that students in the Southeast were not taking full advantage of the NELFUND scheme. He therefore urged the student leaders to intensify awareness campaigns on their campuses and in their communities to encourage wider participation.
The RHGN Southeast deputy leader also encouraged students to look beyond seeking paid employment after graduation and instead embrace entrepreneurship, innovation and self-reliance. He pointed to Federal Government interventions through the Bank of Industry and the Bank of Agriculture, which he said have made billions of naira available to support young entrepreneurs and small businesses.
According to him, these initiatives complement the renowned entrepreneurial spirit of the Igbo people and are designed to unlock the economic potential of the region’s youth.
Ngoforo further expressed confidence in the Tinubu administration’s economic and development agenda, saying it reflects a clear understanding of the policies needed to build a strong, prosperous and globally competitive nation. He added that the future of the Southeast and its young people remains bright under such leadership.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, he cautioned the student leaders against politicians who may seek to exploit ethnic or religious sentiments for political gain. He reminded them of the historic role students have played in advancing social progress and urged them to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid to enable him complete the reforms initiated by his administration.
Responding on behalf of the delegation, its leader, Comrade Nelson Obi-Okafor, thanked Ngoforo for what he described as his consistent efforts in enlightening Nigerians on the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration.
He assured him that the delegation would take the message to tertiary institutions and communities across the Southeast. Obi-Okafor described NELFUND as a significant intervention that has eased the burden of tuition and other educational expenses for indigent students, pledging that the student leaders would continue encouraging eligible students to access the scheme.
The meeting formed part of RHGN Southeast’s expanding grassroots mobilisation efforts. The organisation recently inaugurated its Campus and Market Wings across the Southeast and has also held separate engagements with Pentecostal clergy in Awka and traders at Ariaria International Market, Aba, as part of its campaign to consolidate support for President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
