Vice President Kashim Shettima says the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has provided crucial financial relief to the children of the poor and removed financial barriers to higher education.

Mr Shettima stated this on Wednesday in Abuja during an audience with the management team of the University of Abuja, led by the Vice Chancellor, Hakeem Fawehinmi.

He described NELFUND, which was established by the administration of President Bola Tinubu, as a landmark initiative.

Mr Shettima said the administration positioned the fund as a vital social equaliser and a primary mechanism for poverty alleviation, as well as the advancement of education in Nigeria.

The vice president said that by ensuring tuition fees are covered and providing monthly upkeep allowances, the scheme ensured that poverty was no longer an excuse not to go to school.

“NELFUND is a very beautiful initiative by the leadership of this country under President Bola Tinubu, created to give respite breathing space to the children of the poor.”

Mr Shettima also observed that Nigeria had crossed the rubicon, adding that it was firmly on the path of sustainable economic development under the Tinubu administration.

The vice president cited the recent upgrade of Nigeria’s sovereign credit ratings and outlooks by global rating agencies.

He attributed the success to stronger foreign exchange reserves, higher oil production, increased federal allocation and the ongoing macroeconomic reforms undertaken by the Renewed Hope administration.

Mr Shettima applauded the management of the University of Abuja under the leadership of Mr Fawehinmi.

According to him, the vice chancellor had provided leadership that had surmounted the challenges that confronted the school in the past.

He said that the University of Abuja now stood on a solid pedestal, as real stability had been restored in the institution.

Mr Shettima pledged that the federal government would do everything within its ability to give the school the needed support.

Earlier, Mr Fawehinmi commended Mr Shettima for supporting and spearheading the growth and developmental strides of the Tinubu administration.

He described MrShettima as a mentor whose leadership qualities had assisted the university’s governing board in managing the school.

The vice chancellor sought the institution’s partnership with the government to move the country forward.

“We have always known you to be a highly cerebral and dynamic leader. We appreciate the generous strides you are making in the country.

“We are not surprised at your intellectual agility,” he stated.

Mr Fawehinmi said NELFUND, under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr Tinubu, had assisted immensely in bringing relative stability to the nation’s education sector.

He stated that the management, as well as the Governing Council of the University of Abuja, deemed it necessary to thank the vice president for the support he had always given to the school.

“Our recent history in terms of leadership has not been very palatable. There have been issues to do with our checkered history.

“But in the last eight months when we came on board, we tried our very best to stabilize the university,” he explained.

(NAN)