Connect with us

News

What You Need To Know About The New Students Loan Bill

Published

on

The National Assembly, on Wednesday, passed the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2024.

This comes after separate considerations by both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the report of the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund

Recall that less than one year after President Bola Tinubu signed the Students Loan Bill into law, the legislation was returned to the National Assembly for a complete overhaul.

For eight months, President Tinubu, who campaigned on providing loans to students, struggled to implement the law with several missed deadlines.

The president faced criticism over the several missed deadlines for the implementation of the policy.

However, Mr Tinubu on Thursday forwarded a bill to the National Assembly seeking a repeal and re-enactment of the bill.

According to the president, some of the provisions of the law made it difficult to kickstart the project. He, therefore, urged lawmakers to do a complete overhaul of the legislation.

“The bill seeks to address the challenges relating to the management structure of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELF), applicant eligibility requirements, loan purpose, funding sources and disbursement and repayment procedures,” the president said in a letter addressed to the National Assembly.

In this report, JomogNews reviews some of the changes President Tinubu is proposing in the law.

Inclusion of all students

One of the major issues the proposed amendment seeks to cure is the exclusion of some of the group of students because of the wording of the law.

The existing Act provides that the loan is for payment of tuition fees and nothing more. President Tinubu, in the letter, said such provision would prevent federal university students from accessing the loan because they don’t pay tuition.

Under the current legislation, students can only apply for loans to pay tuition fees. Federal tertiary institutions don’t charge tuition fees. However, students must pay other institutional charges.

Also, under the current Act, students would not be able to apply to the Fund for loans to cover those other institutional charges or their other upkeep costs, thus defeating the purpose of the loan, which is to ease access to tertiary education for young Nigerians.

The proposed bill says the fund can “provide loans to qualified Nigerians for tuition, fees, charges, and upkeep during their studies in approved tertiary education institutions and vocational and skills acquisition institutions in Nigeria.”

Transfer of operational powers from the CBN governor

In the current Act, the CBN Governor has the responsibility of administering the fund. The administration of the Fund is vested in a Special Committee, with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as the Chairman. The Governor implements the committee’s executive decisions and appoints a Secretary to assist.

If the new bill is passed, the CBN governor will be stripped of the implementation of the fund. The implementation will now be handled by the Managing Director of the Fund.

Mr Tinubu said in his letter: “The Act imposes on the Governor of the CBN management and executive responsibilities outside the core mandate of the CBN, which should be the Governor’s focus.”

Removing Guarantors

The bill by the President is also seeking to remove some of the conditions to qualify students for the loan.

For instance, for any student to qualify for the loan, he must provide two guarantors who shall be a civil servant of level 12 and above, a lawyer with ten years post-call experience, a judicial officer, or a justice of the peace

Also, the current Act allows only applicants with a combined family income of less than N500,000 per annum to apply. Under this provision, the child of a person who earns N45,000 a month is disqualified from applying for this loan.

Children of loan defaulters banned from accessing loan

In addition, the Act contains a provision that bans the children of defaulters from accessing loans.

In the proposed Act, student applicants can no longer be disqualified based on their parent’s loan history.

Payment to commence two years after work

The Act criminalises failure to repay loans obtained from the Fund without consideration for circumstances, including unemployment, death, or disability, that may affect an individual’s ability to pay.

It merely provides that “The Fund shall not initiate loan recovery efforts until two years after the completion of the National Youth Service programme.”

In the letter, the president said beneficiaries of the Fund shall begin repayment as soon as they are employed in any capacity.

Loan forgiveness on event of death

In the proposed bill, the loan ends with the death of a beneficiary.

The president said the bill “makes provision for loan forgiveness in the event of death or acts of God causing inability to repay.”

“A beneficiary may request an extension of enforcement action by the Fund by providing a sworn affidavit indicating that he is not employed in any capacity and is not receiving any income.

“Only a person who provides a false statement to the Fund under this section is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.”

 

News

Delta NMA Declares Blessing CEO’s Cancer Report Fraudulent

Published

on

By

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Delta State branch, has officially debunked the cancer claims made by relationship influencer Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO.

In a statement on Tuesday, the association revealed that the document is an altered version of an original medical report belonging to a different patient diagnosed with breast cancer.

The statement, jointly signed by NMA Delta State Chairman, Dr. Israel Adaigho, and Secretary, Dr. Usamah Hannah, was sighted by The Nation on Tuesday.

According to the NMA, the viral report was purportedly issued by Xinus Medical Diagnostics and signed by consultant pathologist Dr. O.A. Odigwe.

However, Dr. Odigwe, who is the proprietor of the diagnostic centre, clarified that his facility never issued any report to Blessing Okoro.

The association explained that Xinus Medical Diagnostics is located in Asaba, Delta State not Enugu State as claimed in the circulating document.

The centre was contacted in May 2025 by a doctor from a private hospital in Asaba to conduct a confirmatory histology test for a patient identified as Mbara Deborah, who had a suspected case of breast cancer.

The test confirmed breast cancer, and the original result was issued to the referring doctor on May 9, 2025.

The NMA stated that the document currently being paraded online by the law firm Allen Juris Law is the original report bearing the name Mbara Deborah.

The version linked to Blessing CEO appears to be a doctored copy of this same report.

The statement read in part: “Our attention has been drawn to an online histology report purportedly issued to one Blessing Okoro, aka Blessing CEO, by Xinus Medical Diagnostics allegedly located in Enugu State. The said histology report was also alleged to have been signed by Dr. O.A. Odigwe, a consultant pathologist.

“The proprietor of Xinus Medical Diagnostics, Dr. O.A. Odigwe, who is also a member of the Nigerian Medical Association, Delta State chapter, has reached us and offered the following clarification: that Xinus Medical Diagnostics is located in Asaba, Delta State and did not at any time issue any report to Blessing Okoro.

“The centre was contacted in May 2025 by a doctor from a private hospital in Asaba to do a confirmatory test on a possible case of breast cancer for a patient, Mbara Deborah. The test was done and the result issued to the referring doctor as a case of breast cancer on May 9, 2025.

“A copy of that result is the one currently being circulated online by the law firm, Allen Juris Law, with the name Mbara Deborah as the patient. That result from the law firm is the original version issued to the patient through her hospital.”

The NMA said the clarification became necessary because of the way the altered report was allegedly being used to solicit public sympathy and financial assistance.

It urged the public to be cautious and warned against actions that could tarnish the integrity of medical professionals.

The association also called on relevant security agencies to take appropriate steps to protect unsuspecting members of the public.

“The integrity of our association and its members is very paramount and should not therefore be taken for granted.

“We call on the authorities responsible for maintaining law and order to do the needful and save unsuspecting members of the public from being unduly taken advantage of,” it added.

Recall that Blessing CEO recently solicited financial help from the public for the treatment of what she claimed was stage four cancer.

Following widespread backlash and allegations that her medical report had been edited, she made a U-turn, stating in an interview: “I don’t have stage 4 cancer. That was a miscommunication.”

Continue Reading

News

Abuja Court Jails Boko Haram Food Supplier, Hamatu Modu For 40 Years

Published

on

By

Justice Binta Fatima Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hamatu Modu, a major food supplier for Boko Haram terrorists, to 40 years imprisonment for his involvement in terrorism activities.

Modu, who confessed in the open court to supplying food items and information to terrorists, was put on trial by the federal government through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

He was slammed with 4- count charges and instantly pleaded guilty to them.

The Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation, DPPF, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, led the prosecution.

In his judgment, Justice Nyako sentenced him to 10 years on each of the count but due to the plea of the defense counsel, the judge ordered that the 40 years imprisonment should run concurrently, giving the convict opportunity to spend only 10 years.

In another development, Isah Ali, another food supplier also in Borno, was jailed 10 years by Justice Nyako.

His jail term will, however, start three years ago when he was arrested and clamped into detention.

The convict confessed to committing the offence as charged.

Justice Nyako ordered that the convicts be made to undergo rehabilitation and radicalization at the end of their service of the jail terms.

The Federal Ministry of Interior was ordered to determine where the two men will serve their jail terms.

Continue Reading

News

Just In: Kebbi Assembly Speaker Muhammad Ankwai Passes Away

Published

on

By

The Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Muhammad Usman Ankwai has passed away in the late hours of Monday, 6 April 2026.

Ankwai, who represented Zuru Constituency under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was elected Speaker at the inauguration of the 10th Assembly on June 8, 2023.

Details surrounding the circumstances of his death were not immediately disclosed at the time of filing this report.

His death has, however, triggered an outpouring of condolences from fellow lawmakers, political associates, and residents across Kebbi State, many of whom have described him as a dedicated public servant who contributed to legislative development in the state.

Further announcements regarding burial arrangements are expected to be made by his family soon.

 

Continue Reading

Trending