President Bola Tinubu, has expressed optimism that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund), after its expansion to accommodate extra features including vocational studies, will take off within the next two weeks.
The President who gave this assurance when the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NAN’S) visited him at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday also assured tertiary institution students that he would intervene in some of the difficulties they face, especially arbitrary hiking of tuition fees.
NANS President, Comrade Lucky Emonefe, who gave details of the meeting with President Tinubu to newsmen after the meeting, said he led his team to the State House to thank him for coming with various policies and programme aimed at making education accessible to everyone, including the NELFund.
According to him, the President explained the delay in the launch of the NELFund saying that in a matter of two weeks, the programme will take off.
His words: “On the issue of the student loan, the little delay was the expansion. Mr. President expanded it for inclusion of some vocational training, which is highly commendable.
“In one or two weeks from now, the launching of the student loan will begin, that is as for the student loan, all steps have been put in place to commence it immediately and Mr. President will launch that. He has equally promised to include students in the process.
“On the issue of the hardship that we’re facing, Mr President didn’t give a specific time, but he said things will turn around soon and students will start feeling it. I think that was the response”.
On what informed his team’s visit and how it went, Omonefe said “we came, first, to thank him for the various educational policies that he has introduced; first is the students loan, he’s a lover of education and education is the bedrock.
“He equally released funds for intervention; UBEC and TETFund, given to students, because that is development of infrastructure. So we came in to thank Mr. President.
“So we’re conveying the message back to our students, that Mr. President will look into the challenges they are facing in various higher institutions and those higher institutions that are increasing school fees will put an end to it. So it is the challenge that Nigerian students are facing, we believe that the school fees hike will be a thing of the past”, the NANS President said.
Also on Wednesday, Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, called on Nigerian students to speak up against voices condemning the Student Loan Funds policies saying the scheme is to ensure no student irrespective of their birth circumstances is deprived of quality education
Gbajabiamila stated this when he received in his office, at the state House the NANS President, Lucky Emonefe and his team.
He solicited the support of Nigerians especially tertiary institution students to ensure that no indigent student, who is genuinely in need of the loan, is left behind.
