The Adeyeye Ogunwusi has encouraged students across Osun State to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund initiative aimed at easing the financial burden of higher education.
The monarch made the appeal while receiving Femi Akinfala at his palace in Ile-Ife.
According to the Ooni, many eligible students in Osun State are yet to apply for the loan scheme despite the opportunities available through the programme.
“Over 60,000 students in Osun have not applied out of over 125,000 on the portal. This should not be so,” the monarch stated.
He urged students to make use of the support rather than placing additional financial pressure on their parents, while also commending the Federal Government for introducing the initiative.
The traditional ruler described the scheme as a major intervention capable of expanding access to quality education for Nigerian students.
Earlier, Femi Akinfala disclosed that Osun remains one of the leading beneficiaries of the programme, adding that Ademola Adeleke has fully supported its implementation.
Akinfala revealed that over 125,000 undergraduate students from Osun are currently registered on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund portal, while about 57,000 have successfully applied for the loans.
He added that more than ₦11 billion has already been disbursed to beneficiaries under the scheme.
According to him, the programme introduced by Bola Ahmed Tinubu was designed to ensure that no Nigerian student is denied access to education because of financial challenges.
Akinfala also sought the support of the Ooni in creating wider awareness of the initiative across the South-West region.
Also speaking, Adekola Adeyeye urged parents to encourage their children to benefit from the scheme and called for increased public sensitisation through the media.
