Students React To Postponement Of Student Loan Program By FG

Scores of Nigerian students under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have expressed displeasure with the continued postponement of the commencement of the student loan program.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu-led government on Tuesday announced plans to postpone indefinitely the commencement of the student loan program.

The program, introduced after federal universities announced a hike in tuition fees, was meant to cushion the effect of the increase on indigent students who might be able to afford the fee.

However, the federal government has continued to postpone the commencement date of this initiative, leaving indigent students to devise other means to cater for the ballooning cost of tuition fees.

Reacting to the development, NANS president Comrade Lucky Emonefe lamented the delay in a chat with newsmen.

He said that the union would further engage with the management of the fund and the federal government to address obstacles that are delaying the student loan scheme.

He lamented that the current academic session is halfway gone, adding that students might not be getting the true value of the scheme for the current academic session.

He said, “The delay is most unfortunate, but nonetheless, anything that will make the scheme effective and serve the purpose and the general interest of the Nigerian student populace is most welcomed.

“We will further engage the management of the fund and the Federal Government to close whatever bottleneck is hindering the commencement of the scheme, and set the ball rolling. Already the session in most tertiary institution have gone halfway which means we may not be getting true value for the session, be as it may the scheme just have to commence in earnest.”