About 40 million students have benefited from the Federal Government’s loan scheme, according to Khadijat Kareem Omotayo, Personal Assistant to the President on Constituency Affairs. Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Jos, Plateau State, she emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu established the scheme to improve the standard of education and provide financial support to indigent students.
“Let’s encourage our youths to go for the student loan so that they can complete their education. If the President was less concerned about education, he would not have helped the youths to access the student loan,” she said.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of the Natives (PIDAN), traditional rulers, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Women in Agriculture, the Plateau Youth Council (PYC), and members of the South-South, Southeast, and Yoruba communities.
Omotayo reiterated that the loan scheme was designed to ease financial burdens for students and ensure broader access to quality education. She urged students who have not yet applied for the collateral-free loan to do so.
“From the record of beneficiaries of the student loan, over 40 million have benefitted so far. Yet, some people are complaining about free education. Please, the representative of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) should go and preach to their people to go and apply for the student loan,” she added.
Highlighting President Tinubu’s commitment to national unity, Omotayo described him as a leader working tirelessly to build a Nigeria that serves all citizens, regardless of ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds. She defended his decision to remove the fuel subsidy, urging Nigerians to hold their elected representatives accountable for governance instead of directing all grievances at the President.
“The President is committed to the growth and development of Plateau State, the initiative that would improve the well-being of the people through access to quality healthcare, education as well as women and youths empowerment,” she stated.
Omotayo noted that her office had embarked on state visits to listen to citizens’ concerns and relay them directly to the President for intervention. She reaffirmed Tinubu’s determination to complete all abandoned Federal Government projects in Plateau State and called for greater community harmony, leadership collaboration, and unity among diverse groups.
The stakeholders’ meeting also served as a platform to recognize efforts in fostering peaceful coexistence across Plateau State and the region.
