The Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, says the Nigerian student loan programme records low participation in the South-South and South-East regions because of deep-rooted cultural resistance.
Speaking at a Strategic Engagement and Sensitisation Campaign by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) in Port-Harcourt, Georgewill said families in these regions are reluctant to associate their children with debt, even as the loan was interest-free.
He, therefore, advised the government to make the programme a repayable grant, noting that this would make parents feel their children are not going to school through loan.
“Despite our advocacy, the word `loan’ is really discouraging students from participating in the scheme.
“We can coin it to be a repayable grant which will make parents feel their children are not going to school through loan”, he said.
On the allegations of fraud associated with the scheme, he said they were baseless and the purveyors were misguided.
The Vice Chancellor cautioned against such reports, adding that it could potentially damage a critical national initiative.
He said the University of Port Harcourt has maintained a clean record since the programme’s inception.
According to him, UNIPORT charges N78,000 tuition per year which is one of the lowest among federal universities.
He said the low tuition fee made it easier for many families to afford the payment, without subscribing to the loan scheme.
Georgewill disclosed that of the institution’s student population of 40,000, only 1,800 were currently benefiting from the loan scheme.
A former National Secretary, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), David Bariereka, corroborated the Vice Chancellor, that UNIPORT had not been the subject of any official complaint regarding misappropriation of NELFUND disbursements.
The Managing Director, NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, reiterated the agency’s commitment to transparency.
Represented by Dr. Zino Ugboma, Director, Administration, NELFUND, Sawyerr said media narratives on the alleged fraud were prematured and could do more harm than good.
“The system may not be perfect, but we are trying to make it as humanly effective as possible.
“Sabotage and misinformation can ruin what should be a transformative programme for the country”, he said.
Sawyerr warned against sensationalism and urged stakeholders to focus on refining the system for the benefit of Nigerians.
He disclosed that the number of students that signed up for the loan on NELFUND portal in UNIPORT had increased to 4,000, making the school the highest among institutions in Rivers State.
“As of this morning, we have about 600,000 students nationwide who have registered for the programme. Uniport’s 4,000 students are a major part of that success.
“Of all the higher institutions in Rivers State, Uniport has the highest number of registrants”, he said.
The Tide’s source reports that the NELFUND’s officials also visited Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. (IAUOE), Port Harcourt, for its sensitisation campaign.

Theresa Frederick & Charity Amiso

The Ido Obolo Andoni fishermen Association has faulted the manner in which Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria is handling investigations relating to the recent oil spill in the area.
In an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the association called for a holistic assessment of the recent oil spills which occurred in the Bonny River.
According to the President of the association, Mr. Udung Usun, the association is worried that SPDC limited its investigation to Oyorokoto Community and ignored other communities affected by the spill.
According to the text of the briefing, the association said the spills, which occurred in the Bonny River and spread to the Andoni River, affected several communities, including Oyorokoto, adding that limiting the investigation to just one community is unacceptable to the people.
It stressed the need for the multinational company to also include other communities along the Andoni River pin its investigation, adding that the spillage caused monumental damages to their means of livelihood.
“The Ido Obolo Andoni Fishermen Association is worried about the activities of Shell Oil Company limited in handling the spillage that occurred in Bonny and spread out to Andoni territories.
“They expressed displeasure over the manner in which Shell Oil Company limited carried out its oil spills assessment”, the text stated in part.
Usun urged Shell Oil Company Limited to carry out a holistic assessment in order not to deny other communities their compensation.

A Professor of Geomorphology at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUOE), Rivers State, Nigeria, Professor Hyginus Bariziga Oku, has advocated the ecological survival theory of “Okanaa” (meaning “don’t do it” in Ogoni dialect) to forestall destruction of the area’s ecosystem.
Presenting the institution’s 65th Inaugural Lecture, titled, “Geosystems and Man’s Life Expectancy”, recently at the university’s auditorium, Oku noted that citizens are duty bound to protect the ecological space occupied and must not harm others through negative actions.
According to the Professor of Geography and Environmental Management, who is from Ogoni, “the collective will to preserve the ecosystem is mandatory to both our right to life and living maximally”.
He hinted that the “Okanaa” theory suggests that at the individual, family, community, industry, farm, commerce, transport, FBO and other man’s activity level, citizens must not do that which is potentially harmful to the soil, water, air and microbes as these media constitute components of the fabric of life with longevity dependant on them.
The theory, the 65th inaugural lecturer stated, advocates internalising environmental ethics of safety of others on a daily basis and personally policing our activities in conformity with set standards of space interactions.
The decisions made today at individual, national and global levels, according to him, “will determine whether future generations will inherit a world that supports longer, healthier lives, or one that struggles with resource depletion, climate instability and declining human survival rates”.
Professor Oku further stated that the responsibility rests with policy makers, scientists, educators and individuals to ensure that human progress is not a fleeting achievement but a lasting legacy.
The lecture, he noted, is not just an academic discussion, but a call to action as life expectancy, human well-being and environmental sustainability are inseparable.
The Ogoni-born Professor recommended for all to put up environmentally positive actions for a safe, better and sustainable ecosystem, saying that this is the ticket to life expectancy.
“The environment, through the soil, water, air and lifeforms inadvertently dictates our comfort, health and wellbeing and could spell doom if the thresholds are not guarded jealously”, he said.
Oku emphasised that the future of life expectancy is no longer about medical progress alone, but about whether choices made are for restoration over depletion, stewardship over exploitation, and solidarity over indifference.
He highlighted the fact that degradation of air quality has resulted in respiratory issues, cardiovascular diseases and developmental disorders in children and the elderly, adding that “over seven million premature deaths each year are linked to air pollution, according to the World Health Organisation (2021).
“This silent killer affects both the rich and poor nations with developing countries often facing the worst exposure due to limited regulations and health care access”.
The don opined further that if citizens act now with courage, cooperation and compassion, they can ensure that future generations not only live longer, but live well on a thriving planet that they can be proud to inherit.
In his speech, Professor Lysias Dodd Gilbert, who represented the Vice Chancellor of the university, lauded the 65th Inaugural Lecturer for exhibiting his academic expertise, experience and research findings.
He urged all to treat the environment sustainably for longevity and posterity, and also agreed that Geosystems affects man’s life expectancy, saying that “what we do to the environment can affect how we live and alter the earth systems meant to protect us in return”.
On his part, the Registrar of school, Dr. Chinonye Abraham Ajie, congratulated the inaugural Lecturer for giving a world class presentation and urged all to internalise his recommendations.
In a vote of thanks, the Associate Dean, Postgraduate School, Professor Chibuzor Chile Nwobueze, expressed gratitude to the Vice Chancellor of IAUE, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku, for his credible and visionary leadership and urged him to keep the flag of knowledge development and peace flying.
He also urged Professor Oku to provide inclusive leadership for the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.
Professor Nwobueze thanked everyone who came to celebrate the inaugural Lecturer and promised that the University would facilitate sustainable Town and Gown interactions for sustainable peace and development in the Country.

Sogbeba Dokubo