Jim Ovia, the creator of Zenith Bank, has been named by President Bola Tinubu as the Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Ovia’s appointment was announced in a statement released on Friday by Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson.
According to the statement, “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.”
A crucial initiative aimed at ensuring all Nigerian students and youths have access to functional skill development and sustainable higher education is the National Student Loan Program.
The organization responsible for putting this innovation into practice, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, expects quality and the most qualified Nigerians to lead and oversee.
The statement added that President Tinubu believes “Mr. Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience and professional stature to this role to advance the all-important vision of ensuring that no Nigerian student suffers a capricious end to their pursuit of higher education over a lack of funds and of 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 this century.”
