Concern over low student uptake of Nigeria's education loan scheme has prompted the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, to publicly call on undergraduates across Osun State and the South West region to apply for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, warning that tens of thousands of eligible students were missing out on a significant financial opportunity.

The traditional ruler appealed when the Executive Director of Finance and Administration of NELFUND, Dr Femi Akinfala, led officials of the agency on a courtesy visit to the Ile Oodua Palace in Ile Ife, Osun State, on Monday.

"Over 60,000 students in Osun State have not applied for NELFUND out of over 125,000 students in the state. It should not be so. Our children should not continue to burden their parents financially when such an opportunity exists. They should apply for it," the Ooni stated.

The monarch commended President Bola Tinubu for introducing the initiative, describing it as a transformative programme capable of expanding access to higher education. "We have seen the impact of NELFUND, and we have heard several success stories from beneficiaries. Thank you, President Tinubu, for making our children happy and for prioritising education through this laudable initiative," he added.

Akinfala, who sought the Ooni's support in taking the awareness campaign across South West states, revealed that Osun State stood among the leading beneficiaries of the scheme, crediting Governor Ademola Adeleke as the first state governor in Nigeria to formally embrace the initiative.

"Today in Osun State, we have about 125,000 undergraduate students on our portal, and 57,000 students have applied for the scheme. We have disbursed over N11 billion to students in Osun State," Akinfala disclosed, adding that the fund was designed to ensure no willing student is denied access to higher education due to financial constraints.

The Lowa Adimula of Ile Ife, Oba Joseph Adekola Adeyeye, urged parents and guardians to encourage their children to take advantage of the scheme rather than abandon their education over financial difficulties. He also called on media practitioners to intensify public enlightenment efforts to drive wider participation among eligible students nationwide.