South-East governors and lawmakers from the region in the National Assembly are working to assist students in the area to access the Federal Government’s student loan program. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, confirmed this in a recent statement. There were concerns raised by the South-East caucus in the National Assembly about the alleged exclusion of the region from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund’s list of eligible institutions for the loan program.
Following engagements with the authorities responsible for student loans, it was revealed that low student registration from the South-East and errors in form completion, such as missing JAMB results, were the main reasons for the exclusion of the region. The affected institutions in the South-East have taken steps to rectify these issues.
Efforts are being made to increase awareness about the program, including producing radio jingles in English, Igbo, and Pidgin English to be broadcast on various radio stations in the region. Institutions like Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State University, Uturu, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, among others, have shown varying levels of student applications for the loan.
Kalu emphasized the need for institutions to encourage their students to apply for the loan and for stakeholders to establish registration centers in communities to enhance participation. He also mentioned that governors in the region are actively involved in increasing student participation, and members of the National Assembly are urged to ensure compliance among their constituents. Students and residents in the South-East are advised to be patient as efforts are being made to address the issue.