ABU Student Develops Mobile App to Ease NELFUND Access

A 300-level student of the Department of Political Science and International Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Abdullahi Adam Usman, has developed an independent civic technology initiative to simplify public understanding of the Federal Government's Student Loan Scheme, NELFUND.

The initiative, called My NELFUND, provides an interactive eligibility checker, loan repayment and moratorium calculator, FAQs and a knowledge base, while directing users to NELFUND's official channels for actual applications.

According to Usman, the app is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and is currently accessible in English and Hausa, with more Nigerian languages planned for subsequent releases.

He said the project was designed to make important government policy information more accessible to students and the wider public through simplified explanations of statutory and institutional requirements.

Usman disclosed that data from Google Analytics between August 27 and September 23, 2026, showed that 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. The eligibility section recorded 938 visits while the calculator recorded 664 visits, with users completing 528 eligibility assessments and 1,470 loan calculations.

He added that the app's users have been recorded across 17 countries, including 533 users in Nigeria and 21 in the United States. He said the next phase would focus on expanding language accessibility, improving educational tools and extending the platform's usefulness to a broader population.

Congratulating the student, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, said the app would give people more clarity and enable applications from different parts of the country and beyond. He described the development as a national service for which ABU is known, applauded the student for supporting a national vision and assured him of the University's continuous support.

Present at the meeting were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Raymond Bako, and the Dean, Student Affairs Division, Prof. Sahalu Junaidu.