FG postpones students loan indefinitely
The Federal Government has postponed the launch of the Nigerian Students Loan Scheme indefinitely.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyer, made this known during an interview with Arise News on Tuesday.
The scheme, originally slated to kick off between September and October 2023 after President Bola Tinubu signed the bill into law, encountered repeated delays. Femi Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, championed the bill with high hopes for its swift implementation.
Meanwhile, Tinubu said the programme would begin in January 2024, after missing the October deadline.
President Tinubu reassured the leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) during their visit to the State House in Abuja that the program would start once its expansion to include additional features, such as vocational studies, was completed.
READ ALSO: NANS REJECTS TRCN’s NEW POLICY: IT IS NOT STUDENT-FRIENDLY AND TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE
However, barely 48 hours before the launch, Sawyer said the loan scheme was postponed due to some corrections that were being made around the launch.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to commit to a specific date. We are sort of waiting to ensure that all the stakeholders are aligned to make sure that nobody is blindsided, then we can actually roll this out in a meaningful, comprehensive, wholesome and sustainable way,” he said.
