The House of Representatives has extended an invitation to Andrew Adejo, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education. The invitation pertains to his appearance before the Subcommittee on Students’ Loans and Higher Education. The purpose is to receive updates on the measures being undertaken by both the Ministry and the presidential committee on student loans in the implementation of the Student Loan Act.
In a related development, the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Tersee Ugboh, expressed dissatisfaction with the Permanent Secretary’s absence despite receiving an invitation three weeks prior. Instead, the Director of Legal Services from the ministry was sent to represent him. During the session, the director faced inquiries to which he struggled to provide answers.
Ugboh emphasized that the outcome of this meeting will furnish the committee with substantial insights, facilitating the organization of a summit focused on the Act. This summit will harness contributions from pertinent stakeholders across various domains through submitted memoranda. The resultant amendments will subsequently be compiled into the proposed Act for the betterment of students.
Rep. Ugbo stated: “It happened before, and it led to a lot of disharmony between the leadership and the working relationship between the Executive arm of Government and the Legislature. We know that under the leadership of our current president, the commitment and passion they have shown for the issues that have to do with the education sector are what they expect to see from the federal Ministry of Education.
“And so we are providing another opportunity to come back again, hopefully, this time with more details of what needs to be done, proposed amendments you are suggesting for this student loan act, so that we can facilitate for you and on behalf of Nigerians.
“So with that being said, the committee will go ahead and fix a date for the summit that we are proposing and will begin to work towards convening the summit where all stakeholders in the country will be invited to make proposals and amendments to the act”.
Ugboh raised concern that the non-appearance of key figures could potentially create discord between the legislative and executive branches.
During an earlier presentation, Enonebi Azorbo, the Director of Legal Services at the Ministry of Education, conveyed that the ministry is fully committed to employing its available authority in order to facilitate the removal of obstacles hindering the seamless execution of the Students Loans Act.
She told me that a committee, chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, had been set up. This committee was inaugurated in June and has been diligently devising strategies for the effective implementation of the act.
Azorbo stated, “I’d like to highlight that following the enactment of the act, Mr. President established a committee under the auspices of the Chief of Staff to the President’s office. They are currently working on the framework for implementation.”
The committee’s composition is as follows: the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Director-General of the Budget Office, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance.
When questioned about the committee’s accomplishments since its establishment, Azorbo clarified that she had no additional information beyond her prior statement.
“That is really what we have to say, the committee is working and it has not concluded its job. We don’t have anything to say more than that it is working, and we can’t preempt what it is doing”, she added.
But the chairman expressed worries that the president had assured that he was lifting all barriers to access student loans for Nigerians.
“This is important to note because the Act puts limitations on accessing these loans, the act puts barriers and limits to accessing the loans by parents of the children who should access the loan limit of N500,000 income for families”, he said.
It’s noteworthy to remember that President Bola Tinubu emphasized in his recent address that any impediments to the execution of the student loan will be removed. This stance has prompted the proactive efforts of the legislative body to propose legislative actions that will expedite the implementation process.
The Permanent Secretary’s scheduled appearance is set for Tuesday, August 15th, 2023.
