As the amended Student Loan Act is assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigerian students have welcomed the development and anticipated reliefs because of the provisions in it.
Tinubu on Wednesday signed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2024 into law.
With this new amended bill, Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) will be established and loans will be provided to students, while eligibility constraint removed totally as against the 2023 one.
It will be recalled that on June 12, 2023, Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, 2023 into law to enable indigent students to access interest-free loans for their educational pursuits in any Nigerian tertiary institution.
Reacting to the signing of the new law, the National Association of University Students (NAUS) demanded for fairness in the allocation of loans.
It also advocated for equal opportunities for all categories of students across the country.
The national president of NAUS, Comrade Obaji Marshall, told LEADERSHIP that if well implemented, the bill would help many people to acquire education.
‘The bill was well received, it’s actually a thing of joy seeing this happen, a lot of people who were unable to further their education due to lack of financial capability can now do so.
“Yes, it should be given very close monitoring, we all know how things in Nigeria works, only those with connections will have access and those without connections will be left behind,” he said.
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