The federal government has disbursed N125 billion in education loans to 1.29 million students in tertiary institutions under the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund), Kashim Shettima, vice-president, said on Thursday.
Shettima disclosed this during an interactive session with Nigerians in the diaspora at the Nigeria House in New York.
He said the disbursements were made since the commencement of the education loan programme, which was introduced to provide financial support to students in tertiary institutions.
The vice-president said the federal government is also implementing reforms in education, health, science and technology, and agriculture as part of efforts to reposition the economy.
He called on Nigerians in the diaspora, particularly those living in the United States, to support the administration’s efforts to transform the country.
Shettima said the government would leverage the expertise of Nigerians abroad, describing the diaspora community as the greatest resource of the future.
He also highlighted some economic indicators which he said reflected the impact of the administration’s reforms.
According to him, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have increased from $3.9 billion to more than $55 billion, while the economy grew by 4.45 per cent in the last quarter.
Shettima said the improvement in foreign reserves and the exchange rate would help support diaspora remittances and investments.
“We are working day and night to reposition the Nigerian nation as investment confidence is returning to Nigeria,” he said.
The vice-president cited the Dangote Refinery as an example of recent investment developments and urged Nigerians in the diaspora to consider opportunities in the country.
“Beyond the negative stories that you hear and see in the social media, Nigeria is open for business,” he said.
On security, Shettima said the government was deploying available resources to address the country’s security challenges.
He also called for greater national unity, saying Nigerians must work together to promote the country’s development.
The meeting was organised by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), and attended by several governors, lawmakers, ministers and other government officials.