The Provost of the College of Nursing Sciences, Eleyele, Oyo State, Dr. Gbonjubola Owolabi on Thursday, 16th April 2026, paid a courtesy visit to the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, at his office in Abuja.
Dr. Owolabi was accompanied by the institution’s Registrar and Head of Admissions as part of efforts to explore avenues for increased access to the NELFUND student loan scheme for students of nursing and allied health institutions across the country.
During the meeting, the Provost highlighted the unique admission structure of colleges of nursing sciences in Nigeria, noting that a significant majority (over 90 percent) of students in such institutions do not gain admission through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
She emphasized that this structural difference has inadvertently limited the eligibility of nursing students for the current student loan framework.
Dr. Owolabi, who leads one of the foremost colleges of nursing sciences in Nigeria, made a strong case for the inclusion of students from nursing institutions, stressing their critical role in strengthening the nation’s healthcare system.
She appealed to NELFUND to consider alternative admission verification mechanisms that would accommodate students outside the JAMB system.
In his response, the Managing Director/CEO of NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, commended the Provost and her team for the visit and for bringing the concerns of nursing institutions to the forefront.
He acknowledged the importance of inclusivity in the Fund’s mandate and assured that the request would receive due consideration.
Mr. Sawyerr further disclosed that NELFUND is committed to exploring workable modalities that would enable nursing students to access the loan scheme, even without JAMB, while maintaining transparency and accountability in the process.
He noted that expanding access to such students would not only bridge existing gaps but also significantly increase female participation in the scheme, given the high representation of women in nursing and allied health fields.
The Managing Director mandated the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Aliyu Mohamed who was also in the new to come up with modalities NELFUND can adopt to implement the requests.