The Vice-Chancellor of McPherson University, Ajebo, Ogun State, Professor Francis Igbasan, has called on the Federal Government to extend the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to students of private universities across the country.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday ahead of the institution’s 8th and 9th combined convocation scheduled for Friday, Igbasan also urged the government to grant private universities access to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to support academic development.
Describing the exclusion of private institutions from these funding opportunities as unfair, he emphasized that inadequate funding remains a major challenge for private universities. While McPherson University receives financial support from its proprietor, Foursquare Gospel Church, he noted that such assistance is insufficient to meet the institution’s needs.
“Our major challenge is funding. Private universities have repeatedly appealed to the Federal Government for inclusion in TETFund. The students we train contribute to the nation’s workforce and economy, so there is no justification for their exclusion. Even if we access TETFund once every two years, it would significantly enhance our infrastructure and training capacity,” Igbasan said.
He also criticized the restriction of NELFUND to public university students, stating, “Private university students are also Nigerian citizens. They deserve financial support for their education just as much as their counterparts in public institutions.”
Providing details about the upcoming convocation, the Vice-Chancellor announced that 281 students would be graduating, with 24 earning first-class honours.
“The breakdown of our graduating students is as follows: 24 first-class, 116 second-class upper division, 65 second-class lower division, and 13 third-class graduates. Additionally, for the first time, we will be awarding degrees to 21 postgraduate students and 42 diploma students,” he stated.
Igbasan further highlighted the university’s entrepreneurship curriculum, which requires all students to undergo four years of vocational training alongside their academic programs.
The press conference also featured a tour of the university’s newly constructed 5,000-seater hall, anatomy laboratory, live radio studio, and entrepreneurship training facilities.
