Muheeb Mashood reports
The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke has urged the president of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to convert the recently signed loan bill to a grant.
Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke made this known while speaking with the Channels Television on Sunday, 18th June during the TV’s Sunday Politics program.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu has assented into law a student loan Act in fulfillment of the promise made during his campaign. The bill was sponsored by the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, Femi Gbajamiala.
However, the ASUU President has said the bill is not practicable, adding that the loan is unsustainable.
“The law says for you to have the loan, you must have two guarantors who are level 12 officers in civil service or a practicing lawyer.”
“Many people cannot vouch to have access to this caliber of people, and if at all they have ,are these people ready to stand in for them ? Not when the repercussion of not paying back is well spelt out.”
He added,”it is better to look for alternative means of funding education than to encumber students whose parents earn N30,000 a month with a loan.”
He therefore urged the President to modify the bill to the status of grant in order to benefit the poor as the Federal Government possesses the resources to settle it instead of a loan that will land many students in jail aftermath.
“Some of these sources of income are there but we believe that this would have been better if we are going to give it to those sets of Students who are very poor. It will be called a grant, not a loan.”
“We as a union also did research of countries all over the world, some people who have benefited from this Loan ended up committing suicide when they weren’t able to pay back.”