Nigeria's NELFUND student loan scheme draws praise and debate

Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima has defended the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a landmark initiative designed to remove financial barriers to higher education. Speaking in Abuja, Shettima described the fund, established under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, as a vital social equalizer and a mechanism for poverty alleviation that provides tuition coverage and monthly upkeep allowances for students from underprivileged backgrounds.

However, the scheme has faced criticism regarding the adequacy of its support and the broader implications of student debt. Some observers have questioned whether a loan scheme is the appropriate response to an affordability crisis caused by inadequate public investment in the education sector. This debate has been intensified by controversial suggestions that students could supplement their upkeep allowances through small-scale petty trading, a remark that critics argue highlights the irony of students bearing the financial burden of education in a resource-rich nation.