On Monday 12 June, President Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act 2023 into law in fulfilment of his campaign promise to institute a pilot student loan regime that will expand access to education regardless of backgrounds. Popularly known as the “Student Loan Act”, the Act seeks to provide access to interest-free loans to Nigerian students in tertiary institutions and establishes an Education Loan Fund to help Nigerians fund their higher education. The law is however silent on the minimum and maximum amount that can be obtained, limiting it only to payment of tuition fees- with an obligation to repay in instalments two years after completing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
(businessday.ng)
Also, according to nairametrics.com, report says "FG budgets N5 billion for Presidential yacht, N5.5 billion for student loan. The federal government has proposed to appropriate the sum of N5.095 billion for the purchase of a Presidential yacht under the capital expenditure Nigeria Navy and N5.5 billion for education loan fund in the 2023 supplementary budget. Meanwhile the loan should have been grant.
According to vanguardngr.com report on October 28 2023 with the headline: "N57bn SUVs: Senators, Reps insensitive, shameless, Nigerians blast lawmakers"
In the body of the news, vanguard analyzes that "NIGERIANS have risen in condemnation of the National Assembly’s decision to import 360 Special Utility Vehicles, SUVs estimated at N57.6 billion for Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, saying it was thoughtless and dishonorable of them.
"Chairman of the Committee on Senate Services, Senator Sunday Karimi, who justified the decision, while speaking with reporters, Tuesday, in Abuja, wondered why Nigerians were picking on the lawmakers when ministers drive four official cars.
"His words, “Somebody that is a Minister has over three Land Cruisers, Prado and other vehicles and you are not asking them questions, why us? “These vehicles that you see, go to Nigeria roads today, if I go home once to my senatorial district, I come back spending a lot on my vehicles because our roads are bad. “I said the decision that we took on using a Land Cruiser is for the cost and durability. Before they came up with this, it was not the senators’ decisions alone; we did an analysis before arriving at land cruisers. “It was based on a comparative analysis of the cost of technical issues and durability on Nigeria roads,” he explained
Whereas, A Prime Minister was caught in Iceland and not accompanied by security officials and she looked approachable like any other person walking on the streets, what is the problem with our leaders we chose to work for us who are working for themselves.
Chief Dr. Patrick Osagie Eholor otherwise known as Ultimate Equal, the Father of Nigerian Students-FONS and Global President of One Love Foundation who was invited by the Green Chamber after he wrote to them to investigate why he would be treated as a money launderer in the bank when he traveled to China.
In his statement with the Journalists today, he said "Should the total money that will be used in purchasing the cars be invested into the education sector or Agriculture sector in 3 years or 2 years time Nigeria will become one of the best countries in the world. As a citizen who meant well for Nigeria we all must be united in this course to say NØ to the purchase of cars by our Senators and Representatives.
"Let us choose a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows corporations to outsource jobs for cheaper labor when there is a national employment crisis and a leader who will invest in building bridges, not walls. Books, not weapons, Morality, not corruption, Intellectualism and wisdom, not ignorance, Stability, not fear and terror. Peace, not chaos, Love, not hate, Convergence, not segregation, Tolerance, not discrimination, Fairness, not hypocrisy. Substance, not superficiality, Character, not immaturity, Transparency, not secrecy, Justice, not lawlessness. Environmental improvement and preservation, not destruction, Truth, not lies." Eholor concluded