Nation
Tinubu Signs Into Law Amended Students Loan Bill
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Wednesday signed the newly amended Student Loans Re-enactment Bill, 2024 into law.
The President signed the bill in the presence of the President of the Senate , Senator God’s will Akpabio , Deputy Senate President , Senator Jibrin Barau , the Minister of Education aand the Chief of Staff to the President ; Femi Gbajabiamilla and few other stake holders .
The executive bill, titled “ Bill for an Act to repeal the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2023, and to Enact the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Bill, 2024,” . went through intensive legislative actions of the Senate and the House of Representatives and their Committees on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund’s following the return of the bill earlier signed into law in June 2023 by President Tinubu but had some operational hitches
The amended Act among other provisions is to create the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.s as a corporate body to administer, manage, and invest funds specifically for providing loans to Nigerians pursuing higher education, vocational training, and skills acquisition, along with other related activities.
The Act. grants the Fund the authority to supply financial assistance in the form of loans to Nigerians who qualify, helping to pay for tuition, fees, other charges, and maintenance costs during their enrollment in recognized tertiary and vocational education establishments in Nigeria.
The reviewed Act is ensured the removal of family income threshold and the requisition for a guarantor for the Student to qualify for the loan .
“Student applicants can no longer be disqualified based on their Parent’s loan history.”
The Executive Bill in it’s amendment also gave the Fund the capacity to. broaden its scope by providing interest-free loans to Nigerian students seeking skill-development program.
Furthermore, the President emphasized the imperative of equity and inclusivity in the program’s management.
“No matter how economically challenged you are, accredited and qualified students will and must have access to this loan to advance their education in higher institutions. There is no compromise in our commitment to the disadvantaged citizens of this nation,” Tinubu said.
In his re marks after the signing president, Tinubu said “ First of all, I must thank members of the National Assembly for their expeditious handling of this bill considering the children of Nigeria, that education is the tool to fight against poverty effectively.”
“We are determined to ensure that education is given the proper attention necessary for the country including skills development programmes. This is to ensure that no one, no matter how poor their background is, is excluded from quality education and opportunity to build their future.”
“We are here because we are all educated and were helped. In the past, we have seen a lot of our children drop out of college and give up the opportunity. That is no more, the standard and the control is there for you to apply no matter who you are as long as you are a Nigerian citizen.”
Meanwhile the Spokes Person of the FUND , Mr Nasir Ayitogohas indicated that the pilot scheme will Start in Public Tertiary institutions after the President’s appointment of the management team
“ The target for this phase of the loan are students of federal and state universities, federal and state polytechnics and federal and state colleges of education. Whoever desires the loan will apply.
“When you need the loan, apply and you will get it if you meet the requirements.”
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja
Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
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