South-East governors and lawmakers representing the area within the Nationwide Meeting have stepped in to assist college students from the area profit from the Federal Authorities’s scholar mortgage scheme.
The Deputy Speaker of the Home of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed this in a press release on Monday.
Kalu assured college students from the area that the problems could be resolved and they might quickly be included within the Federal Authorities’s scholar mortgage programme.
The peace of mind adopted issues raised by the South-East caucus within the Nationwide Meeting over the alleged exclusion of the area after the Nigerian Schooling Mortgage Fund launched the checklist of establishments eligible for the mortgage nationwide.
The discharge by NELFUND confirmed that establishments within the North took benefit of the programme, in addition to these within the South-West and South-South.
Nevertheless, no establishment from the South-East had benefited from the fund initiated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The event generated reactions on social media, as NELFUND needed to make clear that no establishment within the southeast had completed its verification on its platform.
In a press release on Monday, the Deputy Speaker famous that his workplace had engaged with the authorities accountable for the coed loans and expressed optimism that the problem could be resolved within the coming days.
Kalu mentioned through the engagements, it was recognized that low scholar registration from the South-East and errors in finishing related types, comparable to lacking Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board outcomes, have been the first causes for the area’s exclusion.
He famous that affected establishments within the South-East had since taken steps to handle the problems.
“The governors of the area are additionally actively concerned in growing the variety of taking part college students, and members of the Nationwide Meeting have been inspired to succeed in out to their constituents for fast compliance,” he mentioned.
To lift consciousness, he mentioned his workplace had initiated a number of measures, together with the manufacturing of jingles in English, Igbo, and Pidgin English, which might be aired on varied radio stations throughout the area.
He mentioned Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, had 2,543 eligible college students, however none may apply as a result of lacking JAMB numbers.
For Michael Okpara College of Agriculture, Umudike, solely 406 functions have been submitted out of the 21,342 college students.
In Abia State College, Uturu, there was no utility from the 17,928 eligible college students, whereas for the College of Nigeria, Nsukka, with 40,769 eligible college students, solely 781 had utilized.
Within the College of Medical and Utilized Sciences, Enugu, with 610 eligible college students, solely 34 functions have been made whereas on the Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo, not one of the 9 eligible college students utilized.
Solely 11 functions have been acquired from the Federal Faculty of Schooling, Eha-Amufu, out of two,491 eligible college students; Alex Ekwueme Federal College, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, had 930 functions from 19,221 eligible college students, whereas Ebonyi State College with 15,622 eligible college students had 331 functions.
There have been 28 functions from David Umahi Federal College of Well being Sciences, Uburu, out of 831 eligible college students, Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana had 188 functions from 4,774 eligible college students, whereas not one of the 128 eligible college students of the Federal Faculty of Schooling, Isu, had utilized.
In Imo State, there have been 1,114 functions from the 27,371 eligible college students of the Federal College of Expertise, Owerri; 14 functions from the 736 eligible college students of the Imo State College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo, whereas solely 11 utilized out of 1,109 eligible college students of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Schooling, Owerri, amongst others.
There have been 253 functions from 39,334 eligible college students of Nnamdi Azikiwe College, Awka; none utilized from the 1,577 eligible college students of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, whereas there have been solely 44 functions from the two,778 eligible college students of the Federal Faculty of Schooling (Technical), Umunze.
Kalu urged the establishments to encourage their college students to use for the mortgage and referred to as on stakeholders to arrange registration factors of their communities to extend participation.
“The governors are additionally working to make sure extra college students take part, and members of the Home of Representatives and Senate from the South-East have been tasked with reaching out to their constituents for fast compliance,” Kalu acknowledged.
He appealed for endurance amongst South-East college students and residents whereas assuring them that the mandatory steps have been being taken to resolve the problem.