The South East caucus of the National Assembly has raised concerns about the exclusion of beneficiaries from the region’s tertiary institutions in the recent disbursement of student loans by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The caucus observed that the South East was conspicuously absent from the list of beneficiaries, despite a substantial sum of N2.95 billion already being disbursed to 27,667 students from 19 institutions across the country.
In a joint statement issued by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Leader of the South East Senate Caucus, and Rt. Hon. Igariwey Iduma Enwo, Leader of the South East Caucus of the House of Representatives, the lawmakers expressed their concern over the glaring omission.
NELFUND has reportedly defended the situation by stating that South East institutions have yet to respond to the verification lists sent to them, which is a prerequisite for the disbursement of loans.
The South East caucus is urging the region’s tertiary institutions to promptly comply with NELFUND’s verification requests to ensure that students from the region are not left out of the critical financial support. The caucus also called on South East students in need of financial assistance to take advantage of the loan program by applying, stressing the importance of higher education for personal and regional development.
“It is important that as a people, we do not intentionally marginalize ourselves from opportunities which are open to all Nigerians,” the statement reads. “These opportunities are our right, and we must, like others, demand what rightfully belongs to us.”
The caucus emphasized that access to education is vital for self-development and growth, and the student loan program represents a significant opportunity to alleviate some of the financial barriers that limit access to higher education in the South East.
The leaders called for urgent action to rectify the situation and ensure that students from South East institutions are not disadvantaged in accessing the national student loan program, which is designed to support higher education across all regions of Nigeria.