The South-East governors and lawmakers have stepped in to address the concerns of students from the region who were excluded from the Federal Government’s student loan scheme. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, assured that the issues would be resolved and students from the region would soon be included in the program.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had released a list of eligible institutions, but none from the South-East region were included. This generated concerns and reactions on social media, prompting NELFUND to clarify that no institution from the region had completed the verification process on their platform.
Kalu stated that the primary reasons for the exclusion were low student registration and errors in completing forms, such as missing JAMB results. However, affected institutions in the South-East have since taken steps to address these issues. The governors of the region are also working to increase participation, and members of the National Assembly have been encouraged to reach out to their constituents for immediate compliance.
To raise awareness, Kalu’s office has initiated measures, including the production of jingles in English, Igbo, and Pidgin English, to be aired on various radio stations across the region. He urged institutions to encourage their students to apply for the loan and called on stakeholders to set up registration points in their communities to increase participation.
Kalu appealed for patience among South-East students and residents, assuring them that necessary steps were being taken to resolve the issue.