Student Loan Alone Not A Remedy

There is a new dawn in tertiary education after the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) stated that over sixty thousand students applied for its interest-free student loan. Furthermore, over thirty thousand student loan applications succeeded. In the Fourth Republic, it is a landmark. Sustenance will determine the long-term impact of the student loan initiative.

Despite the 50% success rate, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Dr. Akintunde Sawyerr, said that applicants for the student loan would be cleared subject to enough verifications.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Bill, 2024, into law in April. The Act is an improvement on an earlier initiative, which was withdrawn because it was restrictive. The Act covers tuition and other aspects of student welfare. It accommodates a wider coverage of students in public federal and state institutions that do not charge fees and those in vocational training.

This should ordinarily be cheering news, given the poverty ravaging the land and the attendant hardship on students from poor homes. The National Association of Nigerian Students has welcomed it as the “way forward,” as have President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cheerleaders.

But others have rejected the return of a policy scrapped four decades ago. Some, seek clarity and a seamless, well-structured, and effective student funding policy, learning from the country’s past experiences and other countries.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities rejected the student loan.

Moreover, the move is perceived as a precursor to charging tuition fees in federal universities and other higher institutions. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has once unambiguously declared that tuition-free higher education “is no longer realistic.”

A contentious provision is that a beneficiary will commence repayment two years after the National Youth Service Corps programme. It is unrealistic. The Nigerian Graduate Report 2022 found that 58.9% of Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates, 49.55% of Ordinary National Diploma (OND) graduates, and 39.75% of bachelor’s degree holders, are unemployed.

The National Directorate of Employment says most Nigerian graduates remain jobless five years after NYSC. Multinational consultancy, KPMG, said Nigeria’s unemployment rate grew from 37.7% in 2022 to 40.6% in 2023 due to the high influx of job seekers – 4,400,000 annually – into the market. The repayment plan for the student loan is therefore doubtful.

Corruption, mismanagement, and non-repayment kill intervention credit schemes in Nigeria. A student loan scheme introduced in 1974 with advances repayable twenty years after graduation crashed.

In the United States, Forbes reported that Americans owed up to $1,700,000,000,000 in student loan debt as of May 2023. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should embrace the culture of meticulous planning. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu needs to rationalise the federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education that the government has been recklessly establishing with no thought given to their funding.

Nigeria must reach into its past to recover its success in tertiary education. Then, the defunct regions and successor states awarded scholarships, bursaries, and grants. These were awarded for study at higher institutions at home and abroad. The Federal Government and the Local Governments also awarded scholarships and bursaries. This is a better system.

The way forward is to mobilise all tiers of government to return to that template. They should harmonise and build joint data banks so students can choose a scholarship, bursary, or student loan. Technology-supported infrastructure should be deployed to ensure that no beneficiary gets from more than one funding stream. This will ensure that no qualified Nigerian youth desirous of higher education is denied because of lack of funds.

The government should encourage charities, faith-based organisations, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to offer scholarships and bursaries. Corporate organisations should be incentivised with tax breaks to offer grants, scholarships, and bursaries.

The student loan is a good idea, but not as a standalone panacea or remedy. Its implementation and execution should be preceded by thorough planning, with realistic conditions, targets, and reliable funding sources.

Source: https://punchng.com/students-loan-alone-not-a-panacea/

Npower Latest News On Payment Today Thursday 6th June 2024

According to Npower latest news on payment today Thursday 6th June 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a significant decision by lifting the suspension of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did this as he celebrated his one year in office. This decision by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lift the suspension of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program shows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's  continued dedication and commitment to supporting the poor and vulnerable households. 

According to Npower News, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his one year in office speech did not say anything about Npower neither did he say when Npower payment for Npower batch c stream 2 would commence, what this simply means is that Npower is still under suspension by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with Betta Edu the ex-Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has not yet been concluded. 

As earlier stated in previous publications, Npower payment to beneficiaries of Npower cannot start when Betta Edu has not been cleared by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Npower payment will start when Betta Edu has been cleared by EFCC and the suspension of Npower lifted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In conclusion with respect to the conditional cash transfer program, training of desk officers is currently ongoing in different states across the federation, the training in some states have been concluded but the cash transfer office across the states are waiting for the go ahead to commence enrollment of the poor and vulnerable households. 

Federal Government of Nigeria Plans Fresh Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme for 75,000,000 Nigerians

The Federal Government on Tuesday said it had reinstated the suspended national social investment programme, revealing the conditional cash transfer scheme would provide direct payments to 75,000,000 Nigerians in 50,000,000 households to alleviate the suffering of citizens, especially the poor and vulnerable groups and households.

The Federal Government stated that the conditional cash transfer programme was overhauled to combat fraud in the scheme.

The Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced this at the ministerial sectoral briefing to mark the first year in office of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration in Abuja.

On January 12, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu suspended all the programmes administered by the National Social Investment Programme  Agency (NSIPA) for 6 weeks, as part of an investigation of alleged malfeasance in the management of the National Social Investment Programme  Agency (NSIPA) and the conditional cash transfer scheme.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also suspended Betta Edu as the minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation on January 8. Betta Edu’s ministry supervises the operations of the National Social Investment Programme  Agency (NSIPA).

The national social investment programmes affected include the Npower, the conditional cash transfer scheme, the government enterprise and empowerment programme, and the national home-grown school feeding program.

On March 13, the House of Representatives asked the federal government to resume the implementation of the suspended national social investment programmes.

To revamp the national social investment programme, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the establishment of a Special Presidential Panel, led by Wale Edun to carry out an intensive review and audit of the existing financial frameworks and policy guidelines of the national social investment programmes.

Giving an update on the steps taken by the committee at the briefing, the finance minister, Wale Edun stated that the government had decided to restart the national social investment programme that is the conditional cash transfer program to provide succour for poor Nigerians.

Wale Edun said, “I am duty-bound to give you an overview of the strategy, policies, and implementation of Mr President's reform programme. Immediately upon assuming office, Mr President launched macroeconomic reforms to restore stability to the Nigerian economy, including subsidy reforms and foreign exchange market reforms. These reforms caused a spike in costs for individuals and businesses, but Mr President is committed to counterbalancing the negative effects with interventions across the social spectrum.

“The government has restarted the social investment program, providing direct payments to 75,000,000 Nigerians in 50,000,000 households. Access to credit has been improved, with ₦1,000,000,000 allocated to consumer credit and grants of ₦50,000 being given to 1,000,000 nano industries.”

Source: https://punchng.com/tinubus-first-anniversary-gift-fg-plans-fresh-cash-transfer-scheme-for-75-million-nigerians/

Student Loan And The Fate Of Direct Entry (DE) Students And National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Students

As the registration for student loan progresses, students across the federation are taking advantage of the opportunity to register for the student loan and eventually secure funding for their educational pursuits.

However, a significant concern has emerged regarding the inclusion of students from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and those that got admission through in Universities through Direct Entry (DE) in the student loan programme.

Despite occupying a large percentage of Nigerian students, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) students find themselves at a disadvantage due to procedural barriers, particularly the requirement for Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration numbers.

The issue has sparked widespread lamentation among the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) students and Direct Entry (DE) students who argued that the inability to register for the student loan on the student loan portal effectively bars and prevents them from accessing much-needed financial support that is the student loan which is meant for all Nigerian students.

Unlike traditional universities, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) operates and runs a unique open and distance learning programme that does not require JAMB registration for admission.

Though National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is listed as the 29th school among the one hundred and twenty six federal higher institutions to benefit from the student loan on the student loan website, the distinction has inadvertently excluded its students from participating in national student loan schemes that require JAMB numbers as a precondition for application for the student loan.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has also testified that the inability of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to register on its student loan website is due to their inability to possess JAMB number, one of the major requirements before accessing the student loan facility.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Fund, Dr. Akintunde Sawyerr said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has very strict criteria and guidelines and would not bend the rules for any institution or individual, no matter how highly placed.

“We have strict criteria and guidelines around how people can access this loan opportunity. All of them are non-negotiable. JAMB (number) is non- negotiable using this application process.

“Unfortunately, if an applicant hasn’t got a JAMB number, and hasn’t gone through the JAMB application process it is going to be impossible to grant that individual a loan at this stage.

“So, I urge those who can, to go and regularise their status with JAMB so that it makes it easy for them to access this opportunity. This is an equal opportunities programme. It doesn’t seek to discriminate against anybody. But it does seek to protect taxpayers’ money and protect the Fund from frivolously handing out money without being able to account for it."

As the affected students awaits a resolution, the affected students urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to revisit its student loan policies to give Direct Entry (DE) and National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) students access to the student loan website.

The students voiced their frustration over the exclusion, saying the government should work with JAMB to pave way for them to benefit from the student loans.

A National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) student studying Mass Communication, who identified himself as Collins shared his plight: “I chose NOUN because I needed the flexibility to work and study. But without financial aid, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to continue as the school fees keep on increasing. I fear I might have to drop out if things don’t change.”

Collaborating, Benjamin, a Direct Entry (DE) student in Benue, expressed his disappointment: “It’s unfair that we are left out. We are also students with dreams and aspirations. The government needs to recognise our efforts and support us.”

According LEADERSHIP newspaper reports have it, that so far, more than sixty thousand students have registered for the student loan facility, out of which more than thirty thousand successfully applied for the student loan.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is an initiative aimed at providing financial support to students pursuing higher education in Nigeria. Here are some key aspects of the Nigerian education student loan system.

The primary goal and objective of the student loan is to make higher education more accessible to students from diverse financial backgrounds, ensuring that financial constraints, financial challenges and financial limitations do not prevent or hamper their academic pursuits or education.

The student loans are available to Nigerian students enrolled in recognized tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Specific eligibility criteria for the student loan may include academic performance, financial need, and other factors set by the lending institution.

Source: https://leadership.ng/student-loan-and-the-fate-of-de-noun-students/

Npower News Today Thursday 6th June 2024

According to Npower News today Thursday 6th June 2024, suspension of Npower yet to be lifted, only the suspension of conditional cash transfer has so far been lifted, and yet to fully begin.

Npower beneficiaries were promised that the national social investment programmes will be lifted this month June by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the suspension of Npower will be lifted this month and Npower payment will start this month June, according to the Npower national coordinator. For beneficiaries of Npower that failed to watch the video in past posts can kindly watch the video again below.

Npower News: What You Should Know About The Conditional Cash Transfer Programme

According to Npower News, individuals and prospective applicants have been asking what the conditional cash transfer is all about and when it will commence and what it entails. The following below are some facts about the conditional cash transfer.

1) The conditional cash transfer is a stipend paid directly to the bank account of poor and vulnerable household across the federation.

2) The conditional cash transfer program has been rebranded under the Renewed Hope program and will accommodate more states and households across the Federation, about 75,000,000 households will benefit from the conditional cash transfer program.

3) The amount of stipend to Beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer is ₦25,000 spread across three months making it ₦75,000 for three months.

4) Application of the Conditional Cash Transfer will not be done online rather applicants are to visit their state or national cash transfer office for enrollment.

5) The conditional cash transfer program is for the poorest household in the community.

6) The conditional cash transfer program had been ongoing during the Buhari led administration but was suspended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a result of misappropriation of public funds in the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

7) If on visiting your local government cash transfer office and you were told the conditional cash transfer program has not started kindly exercise patience as the training for the desk officers and enrollment staffs probably have not started in your state.

8) After the training of the desk officers and enrollment officers then the conditional cash transfer program will commence so that applicants can enroll for the conditional cash transfer program.

9) Applicants are to visit their state cash transfer office with means of identification, NIN and account details.

OYO State Hospital Management Board Job 2024

The Oyo State Hospital Management Board is the government body responsible for managing public hospitals in Oyo State, Nigeria. The goal is to provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality healthcare to the residents of Oyo State.

The Oyo State government has launched a job portal for interested health worker to apply for various positions in the state Hospital Management Board, interested applicants can visit the job portal through the link below to apply.

Application is invited in the following positions:

A) Specialist Medicals

B) Medicals

C) Dentals

D) Pharmacy

E) Hospital Administration

F) Nursing

G) Physiotherapy

H) Medical Social Welfare

I) Nutrition

J) Radiography

K) Medical Laboratory

How to apply for the OYO State Hospital Management Board Jobs

Interested and qualified applicants should apply through https://jobportal.oyostate.gov.ng/hmb2024

Closing date for this job application is 17th June 2024

Npower News: Group Begs President Bola Ahmed Tinubu To Appoint Halimat Tejuosho As Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, (CSOs), has begged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint Halimat Tejuosho, as Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

Speaking on behalf of hundred coalition groups at a meeting in Kaduna, recently, Comrade Aliyu Sani maintained that the aim of organising the press conference was to join other groups and individuals to drum support for Halimat Tejuosho to be considered Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

“Today, we join People Living With Disabilities, PLWDs, across the 36 states and the FCT, as well as All Progressives Congress, APC, Person Living With Disability (PLWD) leaders in the 36 states and other stakeholders including senators, APC stalwarts, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, credible and objective observers and youth parliaments across the country who have been agitating and consulting widely for the appointment of this seasoned personality.

“As a selfless patriot who has been using her personal resources to bring succour to senior citizens, PLWDs and the less privileged through her well thought out Queen Adenike Tejuosho Foundation, QATFoundation, giving her a position of responsibility in line with her passion and interest will energize her to do more for the downtrodden.

“As a mark of true philanthropy, she recently celebrated Children’s Day with vulnerable and indigent children where over 500 school books, bags, shoes, water bottles, foodstuffs and writing materials were shared.

“Her Ramadan largesse to over 1,000 Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs), as well as Sallah packages to hundreds of households who could not afford to celebrate the festivities cannot be forgotten”, Comrade Aliyu Sani said.

Judging by individual sacrifices and the sheer passion to touch lives, the The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, (CSOs) appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promptly consider filling the vacuum created by the suspension of Betta Edu by appointing Halimat Tejuosho as the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to enable Nigerians and beneficiaries of Npower, enjoy the dividends of democracy in line with the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, especially in the area of poverty alleviation.

“It goes without saying that since the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has been without a minister, government is failing in providing basic succour to the less privileged.

“From her antecedents and if given the opportunity, she will continue to extend her generosity and passion to turnaround the fortunes of the less privileged and downtrodden in Nigeria”, the statement noted.

On the argument that Halimat Tejuosho is not from the South-South region where the former minister hailed from, the coalition stated that her maternal home is Delta State which makes her a full-blooded South-South person even though her father is from Lagos State.

“We do not want to trivialise the issue of origin and region as competence and merit should trump issues of origin and other differences that only serve to divide rather than unite us.

“It is, therefore, our earnest appeal to Mr President to consider appointing this noble, hardworking and dedicated humanitarian and party stalwart as minister”, Comrade Aliyu Sani said.

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, (CSOs), reaffirmed the support and efforts made by the Persons Living With Disability (PLWD) community in Nigeria who worked for the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and begged him to grant their only wish.

Source: https://aljazirahnews.com/group-begs-tinubu-to-appoint-plwd-as-humanitarian-minister/

National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) Will Be Back Stronger - Dr Folake Olatunji-David

The Director of Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, has assured Nigerians that National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP)  suspended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu  would soon be back and stronger.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on January 12, suspended all programmes of the National Social Investment Programme Agency including Npower for 6 weeks.

The four programmes administered by the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA) are Npower, Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Programme (restarted), Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), and National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).

A statement by the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, said the suspension of the National Social Investment Programmes including Npower was based on the investigation of alleged misappropriation of public funds in the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA).

Only the conditional cash transfer program have resumed, other programmes, including the national homegrown school feeding programmes and Npower are yet to resume.

Speaking during the launch of a non-governmental organisation, Create that Change Development Initiative on Friday, the Director of Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, said that the national homegrown school feeding programme would be back, better and stronger.

The Director of Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, added that planning was still ongoing to ensure the effective implementation of the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).

The Director of Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, said, “We all know that we have the homegrown program that is being put on hold for now. It is coming back stronger and better. Before now, it only covers a segment of primary school. The president has said it will be for basic education in its entirety.

“We are planning. We don’t just want to come out without planning to ensure that as soon as we receive the directives, proper implementation is done. If it is the whole of primary school or basic education, it will be done properly. We await further directives on this.”

The Director of Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, praised the organisation, adding that the programme lined up by the Non Governmental Organization (NGO) would help advance the well-being and development of children, adolescents, and the society at large.

Speaking, the founder of the Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Mrs Sharon Ayeni, stated that she relocated to Nigeria to establish the organisation to address pressing challenges and uplift those in need in Nigeria.

Mrs Sharon Ayeni said, “So I’m here in Nigeria with a mandate to help turn around Nigeria to get s back on track towards eradicating poverty, supporting those in need, and making a real difference in the lives of children and the youth. There is a lot of work to be done if Nigeria intends to operate and compete at the same level as other countries.

“The vision CCDI has is big. Our goal is to take our flagship programme Enhancing Nutrition, Exercise and Reading Initiative to every state in the federation, we call this the ENERI effect! Our next target is to implement ENERI in three new schools, and we also have other initiatives in the pipeline, including: Build Her Initiative; Toilet Angels Initiative and Teacher-to-Teacher Mentoring Initiative."

Source: https://punchng.com/school-feeding-programme-will-be-back-stronger-fg/