A 300-level International Studies student at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has built a mobile application to help Nigerian students better understand the student loan scheme run by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Abdullahi Adam Usman, a beneficiary of the scheme, announced the app in a post on X addressed to the program’s’s official account. The post has since drawn over 39,000 views and more than 940 likes.
Usman said the project was born out of his own experience navigating the scheme and a desire to counter the misinformation that often surrounds it.
What My NELFund app does
My NELFund is built around three core tools. An eligibility checker walks students through a three-step statutory evaluation covering academic stream (UTME, Direct Entry, or returning scholar), required documentation, and disqualification criteria under the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act 2024.
A repayment and moratorium simulator models the scheme’s 10% statutory salary deduction, using the ₦70,000 national minimum wage as a preset and factoring in the two-year post-NYSC moratorium before repayment begins. A third component, a searchable knowledge base, indexes statutory guidelines on the application process, disbursement, repayment obligations, and students’ rights under the Act — including the 30-day institutional refund rule.
Usman said the app does not collect users’ names, NELFUND account details, loan balances, login credentials, banking information, or other personal data, and that it runs all calculations locally rather than through a server. It also does not submit applications or carry out transactions on users’ behalf, since it is not affiliated with the program.
Also read: NELFUND adopts digital token system to end double tuition payments
Usman runs Anjal Ventures, a CAC-registered digital product studio based in Damaturu, Yobe State, where My NELFund is listed in the portfolio as a production release built in Flutter, alongside other commercial apps.
My NELFund is live on the Apple App Store, while the Android version is awaiting Google Play Store approval, according to the developer. Usman said he has formally notified NELFUND of the initiative and invited feedback from the Fund’s team to keep the app’s content aligned with current legislation and administrative directives.
Similar read: NELFUND condemns universities over tuition refund delays and fee increases
The app has drawn a wave of positive reaction from Nigerians on X, with several users praising its interface and one calling on Usman to formally present the project to the ABU vice-chancellor.
NELFUND has not publicly responded to the initiative as of publication.
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