South-East governors and Members of Parliament (MPs) from the region have intensified efforts to ensure that students in the South-East can access the Federal Government’s student loan scheme. The initiative comes in response to concerns that institutions in the region were notably absent from the list of beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has already disbursed loans to institutions in other parts of the country.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, confirmed this development in a statement released on Monday. Kalu reassured students in the region that the challenges preventing their participation in the loan scheme would be addressed promptly, allowing them to benefit from the federal assistance.
The move follows the South-East caucus in the National Assembly raising alarms over the exclusion of their region from the loan distribution. According to NELFUND’s initial reports, institutions in the North, South-West, and South-South had received funds, but none from the South-East were included, sparking widespread frustration and debate on social media.
In response, NELFUND clarified that the exclusion was due to low registration numbers and incomplete documentation from South-East institutions, rather than any deliberate oversight. This situation prompted immediate action from regional leaders.
Deputy Speaker Kalu revealed that his office had engaged in discussions with the relevant authorities overseeing the student loan scheme. He expressed confidence that the issues would be resolved in the coming days, emphasizing that the exclusion was primarily due to a combination of low student registration numbers and problems in completing essential paperwork, such as missing Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) scores.
He further noted that affected institutions in the South-East have already begun addressing these issues. “The governors of the region are also actively involved in increasing the number of participating students, and members of the National Assembly have been encouraged to reach out to their constituents for immediate compliance,” Kalu said.
In a bid to raise awareness and boost participation, Kalu’s office has launched a series of initiatives, including the production of jingles in English, Igbo, and Pidgin English. These will be broadcast on various radio stations across the South-East to ensure that students and their families are informed about the loan scheme and how to apply.
Despite the concerted efforts, initial data on student applications from South-East institutions highlighted the scale of the problem. For example, Abia State University, Uturu, with 17,928 eligible students, had no applications for the loan. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, saw only 781 applications out of 40,769 eligible students. Similarly, other institutions, such as the University of Medical and Applied Sciences in Enugu and the Federal Polytechnic in Ohodo, had alarmingly low participation rates.
Kalu has called on institutions in the region to actively encourage their students to apply for the loans. He also urged stakeholders to establish registration sites across the South-East to facilitate the application process and increase student participation.
“The governors are working to ensure that more students participate, and members of the House of Representatives and Senate from the South-East have been tasked with reaching out to their constituents for immediate compliance,” Kalu stated.
He also appealed for patience from students and residents in the South-East, assuring them that all necessary steps were being taken to rectify the situation. The Deputy Speaker emphasized that the region’s leaders are committed to ensuring that students from the South-East are not left behind in accessing this crucial financial support for their education.
