Education
Students’ Loan Bill Before Senate, Says Board
The Director, Federal Scholarship Board, Mrs Fatima Ahmad, says the students loan bill before the Senate seeks to provide access to education for the Nigerian students.
Ahmad said this in an interview with the Newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
The National Assembly is seeking to re-establish a student’s loans board targeted at Nigerian students in higher institutions.
There are separate bills on students’ loan and scholarship before the Senate and House of Representatives respectively, aimed at increasing access into higher education without financial hindrances.
The director was of the opinion that both bills before the Senate and House of Representatives if harmonised would help assist students, who ordinarily cannot afford to go to school.
According to her, I am of the opinion that the bill, which focuses on excellence will strengthen scholarship in Nigeria.
“The bill before the senate I think if put together with that of the one in the house of reps, will help the children access education at low interest rates.
“ I think the essence of both bills is to increase access, especially for people who cannot afford to go to school.
“I don’t see the bills as two bills, I believe the two bills will be looked at critically and become a common bill that the house will present to the executive.
“The national assembly should be able to say more about this; our position at the board is to wait for the outcome of national assembly’s deliberations on the bills.’’
Ahmad added that a committee had been set up in the board to look at the two bills and come up with detail recommendations that would be sent to the Ministry of Education for onward deliberation.
She said that the major problem that affected the previous students’ loan board was insincerity on the part of some students, who took loans and refused to pay back.
Ahmad said that with the recent introduction of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), the re-establishment of the students’ loan would be effective.
He said that it would now be easy to trace these students with the BVN and compelled them to pay back their loans.
On the issue of non-remittance of students’ scholarship, especially students studying in Cuba, she said the economic disagreement between Cuba and the United State of America had prevented the payment.
She, however, said that the Federal Government was working on it to ensure full payment of scholarship to Nigerian students in Cuba.
“We have bilateral agreement with about 11 countries and Cuba is one of them. Cuba has a sort of disagreement with US.
“We have this money in dollars and the US did not allow financial transactions with Cuba.
“So when we paid every other child in November 2017 their own went and was later returned.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, emphasised the need for students to go beyond academic achievements during the university’s 43rd Convocation ceremony.
The theme, “The University Culture In Practice, The IAUE Experience,” highlights the importance of embracing cherished traditions and intellectual values that define great universities.
Prof. Onuchuku encouraged the new graduates to work hard and persevere, noting that their convocation marks a new beginning in their careers and personal lives. He emphasised that they must prove themselves worthy of the certificates and prizes they have received.
According to him, out of 2,887 first-degree graduands, four made First Class, 403 secured Second Class Upper, 2,030 got Second Class Lower, and 450 graduated with Third Class. Additionally, 1,492 postgraduate students graduated, including 306 PhD holders.
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), praised the university’s commitment to academic excellence and institutional maturity. He commended the Acting Vice Chancellor for achieving full accreditation for 47 academic programmes and implementing the NUC’s Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards.
The administrator urged the new graduates to uphold the positive values instilled in them by the university and strive for continuous knowledge and improvement.
By: King Onunwor
The Niger Delta Students Union Government, Rivers State Chapter (NIDSUG), has suspended its planned protest against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) state office in Port Harcourt. The suspension followed an intervention by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
The students had planned to protest on Thursday, citing alleged neglect by the NDDC, particularly in welfare and capacity-building programmes for students from the state. However, after the police intervention, the students agreed to participate in a roundtable discussion with the commission to address their concerns.
NIDSUG leader, Comrade Loveday Njoku, expressed dissatisfaction with the commission’s alleged exclusion of students from benefiting from its programmes. He presented a seven-point demand, including the reintroduction of scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Njoku emphasised that education is crucial for community development and urged the commission to invest in the future leaders of the state.
The students warned that if their demands are not met, they will resume the protest and occupy the state commission office until their demands are addressed. Despite previous attempts to reach out to the commission’s management team, the students claimed their efforts were unsuccessful.
By: Akujobi Amadi
As part of efforts to improve the welfare and overall quality of education for students in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the Sole Administrator, Sir (Dr.) Clifford Ndu Walter DSSRS, FCAI, JP, paid an unscheduled visit to Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi.
During the visit, Sir Walter expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of the school and its surrounding environment. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the development of the education sector, stressing its critical role in nation-building.
“I have visited the primary school in Ogbogoro, and now I’m here at the Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi. I am not satisfied with what I’ve seen,” he stated, indicating that more surprise visits to schools would follow.
To address the issues, the Sole Administrator directed the Council Engineer to commence process for rehabilitation of the school.
The visit was part of a broader initiative aimed at conducting on-the-spot assessments of educational facilities to determine the level of intervention required by the local government council.
Dr. Walter also assured the teachers of his unwavering commitment to revamp the school and improve the learning environment for both staff and students.