Some college college students who lately benefitted from the N20,000 stipend paid by the Nigerian Training Mortgage Fund have begun celebrating the receipt of the cash.
Whereas some took to social media to share their shock, others narrated how they spent the cash on foodstuffs. A couple of stated it took the burden of care off their mother and father.
Monetary constraint is a significant problem going through many college students of public tertiary establishments in Nigeria.
The dearth of funds has saved many younger folks out of college, as their mother and father or guardians can’t afford to sponsor their tertiary schooling.
A complete of 20,371 college students from six tertiary establishments have been stated to have been paid a sum of N20,000 every for his or her July stipends.
The establishments stated to have benefitted from the disbursement are Bayero College, Kano State; Federal College, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State; College of Ilorin, Kwara State; College of Benin, Edo State; College of Ibadan, Oyo State; and College of Maiduguri, Borno State.
NELFUND began the disbursement of the stipends to the scholars, whose faculty charges had already been paid by the company, on August 5, 2024.
A 300-level scholar of the Division of Agronomy, College of Ibadan, Emmanuel John, informed Sunday PUNCH he didn’t consider the cash could be paid when he utilized for it.
He stated, “I utilized for N240,000, to be disbursed as N20,00 month-to-month. I plan to make use of it to get foodstuffs month-to-month, and clear different payments.
“I used to be excited to get the cash, as a result of I initially thought it was going to be one of many a number of failed guarantees from the federal government.
“This may positively ease the burden on my mother and father, as I’ll disturb them much less.”
An Accounting scholar of the College of Maiduguri, Muhammed Buba, stated the cash got here to him as a shock, including that he went to the market to get foodstuffs instantly after receiving the cash.
He stated, “I’m not financially buoyant, so I get assist from my pals and another individuals who assist my schooling.
“I obtained the cash after getting back from faculty. I had earlier acquired some cash from my mother and father, however the excessive price of residing and inflation didn’t enable me to get sufficient foodstuffs with the cash. What I acquired couldn’t final me for a month.
“I used to be considering of how I might handle the little foodstuffs I had for a month once I obtained the N20,000 stipend from NELFUND. I used to be excited and rushed to market to purchase extra foodstuffs. I spent N15,000 on foodstuff, and saved N5000 to get another issues I’d want.”
A scholar of the College of Training, College of Ilorin, Malik Ibrahim, stated upon getting the stipend, he celebrated together with his pals.
He stated, “I believed it was a rip-off alert once I obtained the message. I had simply N100 in my account. After I checked my financial institution app and noticed a stability of N20,100, and noticed that the cost was from NELFUND, I used to be so blissful, and couldn’t comprise my pleasure.
“I made a screenshot of the alert and posted it on my college’s WhatsApp group. Another folks acknowledged the cost as effectively. We went to highschool the next day to have fun spending N1000 every. We declared that it was NELFUND we have been spending.
“The cash will deal with my transportation fare for this month. I respect Mr President for this.”
An excited scholar of the College of Maiduguri, Mudassir Muhammad, wrote on his X deal with, “I don’t know why Nigerians nonetheless assume that NELFUND is mendacity in regards to the disbursement to sure establishments. I’m from UNIMAID. I utilized and obtained the cash two days in the past.”
But X consumer, @Absanchh, wrote, “I obtained mine too. Little question, it meant lots to me and I’m grateful to NELFUND and the president.”
Acknowledging the cost of the N20,000, one other scholar of the College of Ibadan, Taiwo Egbeyemi, wrote “I’ve obtained my N20,000 repairs.”
In the same vein, a scholar of the Federal College of Dutsin-Ma, Tukur Muhammad, stated, “I obtained my repairs mortgage from NELFUND. I’m actually blissful as a result of the cash will assist me to hold out my educational actions.”
Our correspondent, nevertheless, learnt that there have been complaints from some college students that they didn’t get any cost.
Talking with Sunday PUNCH, the Fund’s Director of Company Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, stated among the college students had not been verified and authorized.
Oluwatuyi stated, “Not all college students from the six establishments have been paid as a result of a few of them haven’t but been verified and authorized. Some registered sooner than others. The scholars who haven’t been paid will obtain their funds as quickly as they’re verified and authorized.
“The six establishments have been chosen based mostly on their educational calendars. They’re all of their first semesters. Extra disbursements can be made to different establishments within the coming days. The N20,00 can be a part of the mortgage; it isn’t a grant.”
Reacting to the event, the Tutorial Employees Union of Universities questioned why NELFUND couldn’t disburse the mortgage to the colleges concurrently.
The union re-emphasised its opposition to it, saying it didn’t assist the mortgage.
Talking with Sunday PUNCH, the Nationwide President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, stated, “I’ve not seen any scholar who obtained the cash in my college. In Nigeria at present, there are nearly 100 public universities, and they’re giving what number of of them? Allow us to see what occurs in any case the colleges have been paid.
“Why couldn’t NELFUND pay all the colleges when all of them utilized on the identical time? We don’t know what is occurring.
“As a union, we have now stated we’re not in assist of the mortgage. We’re not even speaking in regards to the quick impact; we’re speaking in regards to the long-term impact.
“As a union of intellectuals, we have a look at the long-term, not the quick. A scholar will get a mortgage and by the point they graduate, they’ve a debt of about N1m hanging on their necks, when they aren’t even positive of when they may get jobs. That’s what we’re speaking about.”
The Senate President of the Nationwide Affiliation of Nigerian College students, Akinteye Babatunde, stated the mortgage would scale back the monetary stress on the beneficiaries and their mother and father.
“We hope that the scholars pays the mortgage when it’s time to pay again in order that others coming behind may also profit from it. It would certainly ease the monetary burden on the scholars and their mother and father,” he stated.