A student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Abdullahi Adam Usman, has developed an independent civic technology initiative to simplify and improve public understanding of the Federal Government’s Student Loan Scheme (NELFUND).
Usman is a 300 level student of the Department of Political Science and International Studies.
The initiative, called ‘MY NELFUND’, provides an interactive eligibility checker: loan repayment and moratorium calculator, FAQs, and knowledge base.
The app also directs users to NELFUND’s official channels for actual applications.
According to Usman, the app is now available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
It is currently accessible in English and Hausa, with more Nigerian languages planned for subsequent releases.
He stressed that the project was designed to make important government policy information more accessible to students and the wider public, particularly through simplified explanations of statutory and institutional requirements.
Usman further explained that based on data from Google Analytics, between 27th August and 23rd September 2026, ‘My NELFund’ recorded 597 first-time users, 595 active users, 4,968 screen views, 4,744 user-engagement activities, and 3,363 interactions with the app’s navigation tabs.
He said the eligibility section recorded 938 visits, while the calculator recorded 664 visits and that more importantly, users completed 528 eligibility assessments and carried out 1,470 loan calculations, demonstrating substantial use of the application’s practical tools rather than merely browsing its content.
Usman reiterated that the app’s users have been recorded across 17 countries, with Nigeria having 533 users, United States with 21 users.
He announced that the next phase would focus on expanding language accessibility, improving educational tools, and extending the platform’s usefulness to a broader population of Nigerian students and citizens.
Congratulating the student, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, said the creation of the app would give people more clarity and apply from different places across the country and beyond.
Prof Ahmed described the development as a national service which ABU is known for.
The Vice-Chancellor applauded the student for creating something beneficial to all students and supporting a national vision.
He assured the student of the university’s continuous support in improving the project.
Present at the student’s meeting with the Vice-Chancellor were Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Prof Raymond Bako; and Dean Students Affairs Division, Prof Sahalu Junaidu.
