By Joyce Ekeh
Funding for nursing and midwifery students under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has surged nearly 14-fold in three academic sessions, rising from N59.4 million in 2023/2024 to N811.9 million in 2025/2026.
NELFUND said the intervention has so far provided more than N1.08 billion to 5,381 students across 21 federal and state nursing and midwifery institutions, as the country seeks to expand its health workforce and remove financial barriers to professional training.
Figures released by the Fund showed that funding rose from N59.4 million in 2023/2024 to N205.8 million in 2024/2025 before jumping to N811.9 million in 2025/2026.
The latest disbursement alone was more than three times the combined N265.2 million provided in the preceding two academic sessions.
Beneficiaries are drawn from institutions including 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.
Others are from nursing institutions in Bauchi, Anambra, Kaduna, Taraba, Zamfara and the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking on the intervention, NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the Fund was investing in the human capital required to strengthen national development.
Sawyerr said the growing support for nursing and midwifery demonstrated the impact of removing financial constraints from the education pathway of aspiring health professionals.
“NELFUND is not simply providing financial assistance to students; we are investing in the human capital that Nigeria needs to move forward,” he said.
“Every student we keep in school represents a future professional, a future healthcare worker and a potential contributor to the development of our nation.”
He said the Fund was particularly encouraged by the number of young women benefiting from the intervention, given their strong representation in nursing and midwifery programmes.
According to him, supporting their education would not only increase the number of trained healthcare workers but also create opportunities for economic independence and professional advancement.
Sawyerr said the increase from N59.4 million to N811.9 million over three academic sessions showed what could be achieved when financial barriers were removed from professional education.
Also speaking, NELFUND Executive Director, Operations, Mustapha Iyal, said the Fund was committed to ensuring that eligible students received financial support seamlessly and on time.
“Our focus remains on ensuring the seamless and timely delivery of support to eligible students, so that more young Nigerians can obtain the skills and qualifications the country needs,” he said.
NELFUND said the nursing and midwifery intervention was part of its wider mandate to ensure that financial circumstances did not prevent eligible Nigerians from accessing and completing higher education.
The Fund said it would continue to expand student financing, with emphasis on programmes capable of producing stronger human-capital outcomes for Nigeria’s healthcare system.
