Ogun CBM Students Coordinator Big AFO Urges Ogun SUG Presidents To Intensify NELFUND Sensitisation

By Our Reporter

The Students Coordinator of the City Boy Movement, Ogun State Chapter, Comr. Temitope Afolabi, popularly known as BIG AFO, has called on Student Union Government (SUG) presidents across tertiary institutions in the state to intensify orientation and sensitisation programmes on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) Student Loan Scheme.

Afolabi made the call in a statement, stressing the need for students to be adequately informed about the opportunities provided by the scheme, including eligibility requirements, application procedures and available support.

He expressed concern that some students may be missing out on the intervention simply because they lack accurate information about how to access it.

According to him, student leaders have a responsibility to take information about government interventions directly to students at the grassroots level rather than limiting their activities to welfare matters and engagements with school authorities.

“In student leadership, we must understand that information is power. A student who is properly informed is better positioned to make decisions that can positively influence their future.

“As student leaders, we must ensure that no student misses an opportunity to benefit from NELFUND simply because of a lack of adequate information.”

The Ogun State Students Coordinator urged SUG presidents to organise town-hall meetings, student congresses, faculty and departmental sensitisation tours, workshops, seminars and digital awareness campaigns to educate students about the NELFUND scheme.

He also encouraged student unions to collaborate with their institutions’ management, Student Affairs Divisions, ICT units and other relevant stakeholders to provide students with practical guidance and demonstrations on the application process.

Afolabi said the current economic realities facing many students and their families had made interventions designed to reduce the financial burden of higher education increasingly important.

He urged students to take advantage of legitimate government programmes while relying only on credible and verified sources of information, particularly their institutions and official NELFUND channels.

“Lack of information should no longer be a reason why students miss opportunities that are designed to support them. Our campuses must become centres of awareness where students are properly informed about educational opportunities and how to access them,” he said.

Afolabi commended the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for interventions aimed at improving access to higher education, describing NELFUND as an important initiative in addressing some of the financial challenges confronting students and their families.

He further described students as critical assets to Nigeria’s development, stressing that investment in education, skills, innovation and youth empowerment remains essential to building a prosperous nation.

Afolabi reaffirmed the commitment of the City Boy Movement, Ogun State Chapter, to supporting initiatives that promote educational advancement, youth empowerment, leadership development and improved access to quality education.

He challenged SUG presidents across the state to look beyond the routine administration of their unions and embrace their broader responsibility to educate, inform, empower and represent the students they were elected to serve.

He said the movement would continue to encourage meaningful engagement among students, student leaders, government institutions and other stakeholders to ensure that programmes designed to benefit students are properly communicated and effectively utilised.