The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) said on Tuesday that the President Bola Tinubu-signed student loan bill will lessen the amount of anti-social activity that college students engage in to satisfy their debts.
NANS, in a statement provided to Daily Independent by Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, Vice President for External Affairs, added that the student loan, if properly managed, will also lower, if not completely eliminate, the rate at which students commit suicide due to depression brought on by their inability to meet financial obligations. It will also lower debasement, particularly among female students.
The association stated that it never regretted the endorsement of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government, saying the signing of the student loan bill into law represents a special democracy dividend to students and parents.
The statement reads: “The first democracy day in this new dispensation came with a special gift for us the Nigerian Students and our parents – signing of the student loan bill into law. This is because whatever affects us equally affects our parents.
“All the presidential candidates in the last presidential election in Nigeria had their manifestos… about their plans for the education sector, none surpassed that of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“His education plans were meticulously spelled out and even a novice would be able to relate with it because it was straight to the point and the goals were not too complex to be achievable.
“Right from his first hour in office, Nigerians have started to feel the change of power and the light of the RENEWED HOPE has shone around every sphere since he assumed office.
The subsidy was removed from our fuel and this alone will help Nigerians save enough for more infrastructure and a higher standard of living for all. We have seen him starting to remove the bad eggs in the system like chaff from beans.
“Now, he has surprised us in our jurisdiction(education) with an accessible loan for us in higher schools. This means that the rate at which my fellow students drop out of school will reduce drastically and more students will be encouraged to apply to higher institutions without the fear of finance since they now know that they have a place to look up to for financial aid.
” I want to sincerely appreciate Asiwaju on behalf of the Nigerian Students and we know that he is yet to even start with Nigerians as this renewed hope shall come alive in every Nigerian home in no distant time”, the further stated.
