The Student Wing of the Northern Youth Frontiers (NYF), made up of student union leaders, campus delegates, and youth stakeholders from the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, has passed a vote of confidence on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the management of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) over what it described as the transformative impact of the student loan scheme on indigent students nationwide.
The group described NELFUND as a transparent and life-changing intervention that has restored hope to thousands of indigent students across Northern Nigeria and beyond.
The endorsement was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency joint congress held in Abuja on Sunday, May 17, 2026, to assess issues affecting northern students, review the implementation of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and discuss security challenges confronting academic institutions in the region.
The communiqué was jointly signed by the National Coordinator of the Student Wing of NYF, Ibrahim Bello, and the Secretary-General, Hauwa Abdulaziz.
According to the congress, the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act introduced under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu has reshaped access to higher education by removing financial barriers that previously hindered students from pursuing academic ambitions.
Part of the communiqué read: “We declare that NELFUND has broken long-standing bureaucratic barriers to become a transparent, life-saving reality, ensuring that financial lack is no longer a death sentence for academic dreams in the North and Nigeria at large.
“Most significantly, the Congress highlights the profound, life-changing impact this scheme has had on thousands of indigent students across the North. By stepping in where poverty would have forced brilliant minds out of school, NELFUND has restored dignity to the less privileged and brought immense psychological and financial relief to countless struggling families who previously had no hope of funding higher education.”
The congress also applauded what it called the successful registration and application of over 1.3 million Nigerian students on the NELFUND portal, describing it as proof of growing confidence in the integrity of the scheme.
The students further acknowledged the reported disbursement of over ₦161.97 billion in 2026, including ₦89.94 billion paid directly to public tertiary institutions to cover institutional charges, as well as ₦72.03 billion transferred into students’ bank accounts as monthly upkeep stipends.
The communiqué praised the loan process as merit-based and fully digitalized, saying it cuts across religion, tribe and geographical zones without political interference.
The congress also passed what it described as a “resounding vote of confidence” on President Tinubu and the management of NELFUND led by Akintunde Sawyerr.
However, while commending the Federal Government’s education loan initiative, the students expressed concern over insecurity affecting campuses across Northern Nigeria.
The group appealed to President Tinubu to intensify security around tertiary institutions vulnerable to attacks by bandits and kidnappers.
“We urgently appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intensify security efforts across Northern campuses, which remain vulnerable to threats from bandits and kidnappers.
“Specifically, we call for the aggressive funding of the Safe Schools Initiative, alongside the deployment of specialized, round-the-clock military and police patrols around tertiary institutions, off-campus student residential zones, and critical transit routes to guarantee that students can utilize their loans in safety and peace,” the communiqué stated.
The students reaffirmed their support for the Tinubu administration’s education reform drive and urged northern students to continue taking advantage of the NELFUND scheme to secure their academic future.