Members of the National Assembly from the South East geopolitical zone have protested the exclusion of their region’s tertiary institutions from the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the South East National Assembly caucus, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and Hon. Igariwey Iduma Enwo, criticized the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for what they perceive as an injustice. They have called for immediate action to rectify the situation.
The caucus expressed dismay that no institutions from the South East were included in the list of beneficiaries of the student loans, which have already been disbursed to a total of N2,946,927,155 for 27,667 students from 19 institutions across the country. They dismissed NELFUND’s explanation that South East institutions had not responded to verification requests as inadequate.
The statement from the caucus read in part: “The South East caucus of the National Assembly has noted the absence of South East tertiary institutions from the list of beneficiaries of the student loan scheme managed by NELFUND. Despite the allocation of funds to other regions, South East institutions have been left out.”
The caucus urged South East institutions to promptly comply with NELFUND’s verification requests to ensure their students can benefit from the program. They also encouraged South East students to apply for the loan, emphasizing the importance of such support for overcoming barriers to higher education.
The statement concluded with a call for the South East to actively pursue and claim its rightful share of national opportunities, reinforcing that equitable access to educational resources is crucial for regional development.
