By Funmilayo Adeyemi
Stakeholders in the education sector have lauded President Bola Tinubu for the bold step in signing into law the Student Loan Bill.
The stakeholders told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that the development would provide easy access to higher education to children of the poor.
A Lecturer in the Department of Islamic Studies, University of Abuja, Prof. Rafatu Abdulhamid, commended the president for the stride, saying that the initiative would yield overall progress and development of the country.
“This new development was overwhelming when I listened to the news that students interest free loan bill has been approved by our president.
“We thank God for this development because I know of many students whom their parents cannot afford university education and simply because of that, they could not go to school today.
“Some of them managed to be in the university and because they cannot afford those basic necessities of life they needed to support them for education, they face series of challenges.
“Some of the lecturers had to come to the aids of these students.
“I know some of them that sleep in mosques because they cannot even afford to either rent a house outside the school environment or even pay for hostel accommodation,” she said.
Abdulhamid said some staff of the University of Abuja had to support some of these students, adding that there was also little that could be done considering the numbers of students in this category.
She also appreciated the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Alla, who introduced the ‘students worker’ scheme where students were allowed to work and receive pay to have money to buy their books to support their education.
”Many students because they cannot afford the fees are not in school but these student can be better citizens with university education but because they cannot afford it many are not in school.
”So, with this new development, I sincerely believe that it would go a long way in boosting the morale of our students and making them sit up and face their education because that economic challenge would be a relief for them.
”And, they can further their education without interruption whatsoever,” she said.
Also, the former President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Sunday Asefon, said the accented bill on Student loan would be a real succour to the difficulty occasioned by inflated school fees and fuel subsidy removal.
Asefon called on critical stakeholders in the education sector such as the National Universities Commission (NUC), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology and others to as a matter of urgency see to the review of standards for the qualification of beneficiaries in the utmost interest of downtrodden.
He said this should be the first assignment of designate Minister of Education upon assumption of duty.
“Indeed His Excellency Bola Tinubu, President Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a man of his words and very conscious of his promises to entire Nigerian populace as enshrined in his manifesto titled ‘Renewed Hope’.
”It is important we all put our differences aside in the interest of greater Nigeria.
“We need to give maximum support to the present government across all levels so as to ensure the delivery of dividends of democracy in a country where all and sundry blossom,” he said.
NAN reports that President Tinubu, through his presidential spokesman, Dele Alake, made the announcement to newsmen on Monday.
The bill will boost the educational pursuit of the youths across the country as it provides interest-free loans to indigent Nigerian students.
A committee will be drawn from all the relevant education stakeholders to handle the process for an efficient disbursement of the loans.
The students loan bill recommends two years imprisonment or N500,000 or both for students who default in repayment or anyone found aiding defaulters.(NAN)
