Tinubu signs student loan bill into law
- Says no one, no matter how poor will be excluded from quality education
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has vowed that no one, no matter how poor their background, will be excluded from quality education and opportunity to build their future, going forward.
He made the vow at a brief ceremony where he signed the Student Loans Re-enactment Bill into law at the State House.
The executive bill titled “A Bill for an Act to repeal the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2023 and Enact the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Bill, 2004 to Establish the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as a body corporate to receive, manage and invest funds to provide loans to Nigerians for higher education, vocational training and skills acquisition and for related matters was signed at the State House in the Presence of the leadership of the National Assembly, Ministers and Major Stakeholders of Education.”
The President said: “I have just signed a bill proclaiming the student loan effectively. 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 dropped out of colleges and given 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.”
Details later…