NELFUND Nursing Funding Jumps 14-Fold to N811.9 Million
By Aboki Forex —
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has raised funding for nursing and midwifery education to N811.9 million in the 2025/2026 academic session, up from N59.4 million in 2023/2024. That is a near 14-fold increase in two years.
The figure was disclosed in a statement by NELFUND's Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, on Saturday.
Total Spend Passes N1.08 Billion
Funding climbed from N59.4 million in 2023/2024 to N205.8 million in 2024/2025, then to N811.9 million in 2025/2026. Across the three sessions, NELFUND has disbursed more than N1.08 billion for nursing and midwifery education, reaching 5,381 students in 21 Federal and State institutions.
Beneficiary schools include Oyo State College of Nursing, Shehu Sule College of Nursing, Lagos State College of Nursing, Ogun State College of Nursing, Katsina State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Kebbi State College of Nursing and Cross River State Colleges of Nursing. The institutions are spread across states including Bauchi, Anambra, Kaduna, Taraba, Zamfara and the Federal Capital Territory.
NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the Fund was investing in the human capital needed to strengthen Nigeria's healthcare workforce. He said the increase showed what could be achieved when financial barriers to professional education were reduced.
Sawyerr added that the intervention was reaching thousands of young women pursuing nursing and midwifery, creating chances for professional advancement and economic independence. Executive Director, Operations, Mustapha Iyal, said the Fund would keep focus on timely delivery of support to eligible students.
Loan Book Crosses N355.87 Billion
The nursing support sits inside NELFUND's wider student loan programme, which has expanded since its application portal opened in May 2024.
A Student Loan Disbursement Status Report generated on September 3, 2026, showed 1,659,853 applications processed. N192.89 billion had been paid to 319 beneficiary institutions as institutional fees, while N162.98 billion went directly to students as upkeep allowances. Total disbursements reached N355.87 billion as of September 3, 2026, compared with N322.69 billion as of August 19. By March 2026, N206.29 billion had been disbursed to 1,164,222 beneficiaries.
Payment Delays and Repayment Rules
The expansion has come with operational problems. In January 2026, NELFUND identified N927.98 million in unpaid upkeep allowances owed to 11,685 students, caused by failed transactions, network downtime and unvalidated bank details. Some beneficiaries raised concerns in July over delays in receiving upkeep payments.
NELFUND has proposed a digital token-based system for tuition payments to replace direct payments to tertiary institutions. It said the system would give students greater control over tuition payments and cut instances of double payments.
The Fund also dismissed a viral claim in September that beneficiaries who failed to repay after graduation could face life imprisonment. Under the existing framework, repayment begins two years after completion of the National Youth Service Corps, provided the beneficiary has secured employment.
NELFUND was established under the revised Student Loan Act signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in April 2024, and its portal opened on May 24, 2024. The programme started with Federal tertiary institutions before expanding to state-owned schools. The Federal Government said it invested more than N1 trillion in tertiary education over two years, including N250 billion for new hostels, over N150 billion for hostel, classroom and engineering workshop rehabilitation, and more than N130 billion for medical school rehabilitation.
NELFUND said the government is also working on a homegrown ranking system for universities and other tertiary institutions to assess performance and set benchmarks.