Aduragbemi Omiyale
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The National Students Loan Amendment Bill has been signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, giving room for students to obtain financial support for their tertiary education.
The bill, signed on Wednesday by Mr Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, was passed by the parliament a few days ago after it was worked on to make it easier for beneficiaries to access the loans.
Recall that in June 2023, the President first signed the bill into law, but it could not be implemented because of some lapses identified, resulting in taking it to the National Assembly for amendment.
“First of all, I must thank members of the National Assembly for their expeditious handling of this bill, considering that education is the tool to fight against poverty effectively.
“We are determined to ensure that education is given the proper attention necessary for the country including skills development programmes. This is to ensure that no one, no matter how poor their background is, is excluded from quality education and opportunity to build their future.
“We are here because we are all educated and were helped. In the past, we have seen a lot of our children drop out of college and give up the opportunity. That is no more, the standard and the control is there for you to apply no matter who you are as long as you are a Nigerian citizen,” Mr Tinubu said after signing the piece of legislature into law.
The brief ceremony was witnessed by the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio; the Deputy Senate President, Mr Barau Jibrin; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila; among others.
