For Oghenetega Agofure, a 200-level Cyber Security student of Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Delta State, staying in school was once a daily financial struggle.
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During his first year at the university, the dream of earning a degree was overshadowed by the challenge of paying tuition and meeting other academic expenses. Rather than give up, Agofure took on different jobs and gigs, combining work with his studies in a desperate effort to keep his education on track.
“During my 100 level, funding my academic dream was a big uphill struggle,” he recalled, explaining that he had to work between jobs and take on gigs to raise money for his tuition.
Then came a turning point.
Agofure learnt about the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) student loan scheme and decided to apply. The intervention, he said, transformed his situation.
After moving into his second year, NELFUND paid his school fees in full and also provided him with a monthly upkeep allowance during the academic session. For a student who had previously been forced to juggle academic responsibilities with income-generating work, the support offered something priceless: the opportunity to concentrate more fully on his education.
Agofure described the programme as more than simply financial assistance, saying it had helped keep his academic ambition alive.
He praised the management of Dennis Osadebay University for participating in the scheme and commended NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, as well as President Bola Tinubu and Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for their support for student financing.
“This initiative is not just any other kind of initiative. It is helping undergraduates within and around Nigeria to fund their academic dreams. You are keeping dreams alive by doing this,” he said.
His experience highlights one of the central challenges facing many Nigerian students: the desire to pursue higher education can sometimes collide with the financial realities of tuition, accommodation, transportation, learning materials and everyday living expenses.
NELFUND was created to reduce such financial barriers by providing loans for eligible students’ institutional fees and, where applicable, upkeep support. The scheme has increasingly become an important source of assistance for students who might otherwise struggle to remain in school.
Agofure’s story also comes at a time when NELFUND’s intervention is reaching students and institutions across the country. In another recent development, the Fund approved and released N87.36 million to 455 students of Kwara State University of Education, further demonstrating the expanding reach of the student-loan programme.
For Agofure, however, the impact is personal.
What began as a difficult first year filled with financial uncertainty has become a renewed opportunity to focus on his Cyber Security studies and work towards the career he envisioned.
His message is therefore simple: when financial difficulties threaten a student’s education, access to the right support can make the difference between abandoning a dream and continuing to pursue it.
For students like Agofure, NELFUND is not merely paying a bill. It is helping create the breathing space needed to remain in school, complete a degree and build a future.
And that is why, in his own words, the intervention is helping to keep academic dreams alive.
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