The federal government has announced a new date to start the Access to Higher Education Act, also known as the Students Loan Law, signed by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023.
Since signing the bill into law, many Nigerians have criticised its introduction, describing it as a ground for the introduction of tuition fees in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Despite the criticism, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Andrew Adejoh, said the law would start in September. But that didn’t happen as planned.
During the 29th National Economic Summit on Monday, President Tinubu spoke about the loan program.
He said it must begin in January 2024.
He said, “In January 2024, we must start the new Students Loan Program. We want to make sure our children and students can focus on their education without interruptions.
“It’s important to provide access to loans for things like buying a car or getting a mortgage for a home. We need to develop this program without any delays. We can’t effectively fight corruption if people can’t afford things like cars or homes because they can’t get loans.”