PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu earlier today (Wednesday 3rd April 2024) signed the Access to Higher Education Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2024 (otherwise known as Student Loans) into law.
This comes after separate considerations by both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the report of the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund.
The Senate and the House of Representatives had on 20 March 2024 passed the Bill.
The Senate’s resolution followed its consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Muntari Dandutse, presented the report during plenary.
President Tinubu had a week earlier transmitted the Bill to the National Assembly for its consideration and passage.
The Upper Legislative chamber had given the Bill an accelerated hearing by suspending relevant sections of its standing rules and referred the Bill to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
After debate on the Bill, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the Bill to the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND for further legislative work and to report back in one week.
The Bill seeks to provide easy access to higher education for indigent Nigerians through interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund established in the Act to provide education for all Nigerians.
Full Text Of Tinubu’s Speech At The Signing Of Bill Into Law
We have just signed the bill proclaiming the student loan effective.
First of all, I must thank the members of the National Assembly for their expeditious handling of this bill, considering the children of Nigeria that education is the tool to fight against poverty effectively.
We are determined to ensure education is given the proper attention necessary for the country, including skill-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 we are helped. In the past we’ve seen a lot of our children drop out of college and give up the opportunity.
That is no more! The standard and the control are there for you to apply no matter who you are as long as you are a Nigerian citizen.
Eighteen-Eleven Media