The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has commended the Aliko Dangote Foundation on the launch of its ₦100 billion annual education scholarship initiative, a decade-long commitment expected to support more than 1.3 million Nigerian students across secondary and tertiary institutions.
NELFUND made this known in a statement by its Director of Strategic Communications, Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, describing the initiative as a bold demonstration of private-sector partnership aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his commitment to expanding access to quality education for Nigerian children.
The scholarship scheme was unveiled in Lagos in the presence of Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the event.
For his part, the Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr, Akintunde Sawyerr, commended the Aliko Dangote Foundation for its visionary leadership and alignment with the Federal Government’s reform priorities in the education sector.
“On behalf of NELFUND, we applaud President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for championing collaborative solutions that strengthen our education system,” Mr Sawyerr said.
“The Dangote Foundation’s ₦100 billion annual scholarship scheme directly complements the President’s agenda to remove financial barriers for students and empower the next generation of Nigerian talent,” he stated.
Mr Sawyerr noted that the Foundation’s decade-long commitment, targeting public secondary schools, public tertiary institutions, and a significant STEM-focused scholarship track, will significantly enhance national efforts to widen access to education financing.
He further emphasised NELFUND’s readiness to collaborate with the Dangote Foundation and other government partners to ensure efficiency, transparency, and broad impact.
“NELFUND stands ready to engage, support, and work collaboratively to maximise the reach and effectiveness of this programme
“We are committed to ensuring that no Nigerian is denied educational opportunity due to financial constraints.” Mr Sawyerr added.
NELFUND reaffirmed that strong partnerships among government, the private sector and development stakeholders remain critical to building a resilient and inclusive education ecosystem, in line with President Tinubu’s call for shared responsibility in national development.
The Fund congratulated the Aliko Dangote Foundation on the initiative and expressed confidence that the scholarship programme will leave a transformative legacy on Nigeria’s educational landscape.
PIAK