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Members of the National Assembly from the South-East geopolitical zone have voiced their concerns over the exclusion of South-East higher education institutions from the Federal Government’s student loan program.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the South-East caucus of the National Assembly, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and Honourable Igariwey Iduma Enwo, urged the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to redress what they saw as an injustice.
The caucus expressed disbelief at the complete omission of Southeast Asian institutions from the list of beneficiaries, and considered NELFUND’s justification to be inadequate.
The statement read in part: “The attention of the South East caucus of the National Assembly has been drawn to the absence of beneficiaries from South East tertiary institutions in the list of beneficiaries of student loans disbursed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).”
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It continued, “With a total of N2,946,927,155 disbursed to 27,667 students from 19 institutions in the country, institutions of higher learning in South East Asia are conspicuously missing from the list. In its defense, NELFUND has stated that the absence of beneficiaries from institutions in South East Asia is because despite the verification list being sent to all schools, institutions in South East Asia have not responded to their request for verification of the list sent to them.”
The caucus urged institutions in Southeast Asia to immediately respond to NELFUND’s verification request so that students from the region can benefit from the program. They also encouraged students in Southeast Asia to apply for loans.
The statement added, “This is important because it can help address some of the challenges that limit access to higher education, which we all agree is vital to personal development and growth.”
The South East Caucus stressed that the region must not marginalize itself from the opportunities that are available to all Nigerians, asserting, “It is important that we as a nation do not intentionally marginalize ourselves from the opportunities that are open to all Nigerians. Those opportunities are our right and we must, like everyone else, demand what is rightfully ours.”
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