South-East Governors and Lawmakers Intervene to Secure Student Loans for Regional Institutions

South-East governors and lawmakers representing the region in the National Assembly have taken proactive steps to ensure that students from the South-East benefit from the Federal Government’s student loan scheme. This development follows concerns over the alleged exclusion of the region from the recently released list of eligible institutions by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, assuring students from the region that the issues would be resolved promptly and that they would soon be included in the Federal Government’s student loan programme.

The assurance comes in response to concerns raised by the South-East caucus in the National Assembly after the NELFUND list revealed that institutions in the North, South-West, and South-South regions had successfully taken advantage of the programme. However, no institution from the South-East was listed as a beneficiary of the fund, initiated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The situation sparked reactions on social media, prompting NELFUND to clarify that no institution in the South-East had completed the necessary verification on its platform. This clarification highlighted the underlying issue of low student registration from the South-East and errors in completing relevant forms, such as missing Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) results, which led to the region’s exclusion.

In his statement, Kalu noted that his office had engaged with the authorities responsible for the student loans and expressed optimism that the matter would be resolved in the coming days. He added that affected institutions in the South-East had already begun taking steps to address these issues.

“The governors of the region are also actively involved in increasing the number of participating students, and members of the National Assembly have been encouraged to reach out to their constituents for immediate compliance,” Kalu stated.

To raise awareness, Kalu’s office has initiated several measures, including the production of jingles in English, Igbo, and Pidgin English, which will be aired on various radio stations across the region.

He provided detailed statistics, revealing the extent of the issue. For example, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, had 2,543 eligible students, but none could apply due to missing JAMB numbers. At Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, only 406 applications were submitted out of 21,342 students, while Abia State University, Uturu, had no applications from 17,928 eligible students. The situation was similar at other institutions across the South-East.

In response to these challenges, Kalu urged the institutions to encourage their students to apply for the loan and called on stakeholders to set up registration points in their communities to boost participation.

“The governors are also working to ensure more students participate, and members of the House of Representatives and Senate from the South-East have been tasked with reaching out to their constituents for immediate compliance,” Kalu reiterated.

He appealed for patience among South-East students and residents while assuring them that all necessary steps were being taken to resolve the issue and ensure their inclusion in the Federal Government’s student loan programme.