The Federal University Lokoja (FUL) has disclosed that 3,296 students benefited from approximately N387 million disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) in two batches to ease the financial challenges associated with higher education.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, revealed this on Monday during a press briefing ahead of the institution’s 10th convocation ceremony scheduled for Saturday, November 14.
Ibileye explained that the first disbursement of about N188 million covered 1,631 students, while the second tranche, valued at approximately N199 million, benefited another 1,665 students.
He added that the university refunded students who had paid their tuition fees before their loan applications were approved and the funds were subsequently released.
Beyond the financial assistance to students, the Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) committed approximately N404.9 million to staff development through academic training and conference sponsorship.
According to him, 190 out of 200 applications submitted by university staff for conference sponsorship were approved, representing a 95 per cent success rate.
He said 81 academic staff members benefited from the sponsorship, including 49 who attended international conferences and 32 who participated in local conferences, at a combined cost of approximately N246.6 million.
Ibileye further disclosed that 109 non-academic staff members received conference sponsorship worth about N38.4 million, bringing the total expenditure on conference participation to approximately N285 million.
He also revealed that 21 academic staff members secured approval for TETFund-sponsored academic training, with N158.9 million allocated to the programme.
Research and Academic Expansion
Speaking on research development, the Vice-Chancellor said the university had submitted more than 50 research grant proposals following the appointment of its first Grants Officer.
He also disclosed that eight professors had delivered inaugural lectures since February, increasing the institution’s total number of inaugural lectures to 47.
On academic expansion, Ibileye announced that 14 new programmes admitted their pioneer students for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The newly introduced courses include Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Data Science, Software Engineering, Psychology, and Criminology and Security Studies.
He added that eight academic programmes had obtained full accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC), while accreditation exercises were ongoing for 10 other programmes.
The Vice-Chancellor acknowledged that the institution was making these advancements amid increasing operational expenses, rising student enrolment and growing demands for infrastructure, laboratories, accommodation and digital facilities.
He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to strengthening teaching, research and student welfare.
Ibileye also announced that 5,638 students would graduate during the institution’s 10th convocation ceremony scheduled for November 14.