- By Halimah Olamide
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed renowned banker and businessman, Mr. Jim Ovia, as the Chairman of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
This was contained in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Friday.
Tinubu expressed his belief in Ovia to display his wealth of experience to the vision which seeks to ensure that no Nigerian student suffers a capricious end to their pursuit of higher education over a lack of funds.
The statement read in part: “The National Student Loan Programme is a pivotal intervention that seeks to guarantee sustainable higher education and functional skill development for all Nigerian students and youths.
“The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the implementing institution of this innovation, demands excellence and Nigerians of the finest professional ilk to guide and manage.”
The statement also noted that part of its vision is ensuring that Nigerian youths, irrespective of who they are, have access to higher education and skills that will make them productive members of society and core contributors to the knowledge-based global economy of the century.
Mr. Ovia is the founder of one of Nigeria’s leading banks and a respected business leader, with a surfeit of efforts and benefaction towards nurturing and empowering young Nigerians.
He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana.