Mohammed Shosanya
Students and parents with loan default history, exam malpractices, and drug-related offences may not benefit from the Access to Higher Education Bill, commonly referred to as the Student Loan Bill.
The bill,which was signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on June 12,also specifies that defaulters of repayment or anyone aiding them shall be liable, upon conviction, to two years imprisonment, or a fine of N500,000 or both.
It added that:”A student can be disqualified if they or their parents have defaulted of any loan in the past, or they (student) have been convicted of drug-related offences or any felony involving dishonesty or fraud, or they if the student has been found guilty of exam malpractices by any school authority.”
The bill was sponsored by Femi Gbajabiamila, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief of Staff to the President-designate. It successfully passed through the Legislative in May 2023.
The primary aim of this legislation, as indicated in its title, is to facilitate convenient access to higher education for Nigerians.
It achieves this by establishing the Nigerian Education Bank, which offers interest-free loans for educational purposes to Nigerian citizens. The bill serves to provide educational opportunities to Nigerians and addresses related matters.
The bill said all applicants must apply to the Chairman of the Bank and through the Student Affairs Office of their various institutions – University, College of Education, Polytechnic, or Vocational School – established by the Federal Government or any State Government.
Besides,the bill stated: “Applicant income or family income shall be less than N500,000 per annum.”
Each applicant must provide two guarantors who must be a civil servant with at least 12 years experience, a lawyer with at least 10 years post-call experience, or a Judicial Officer, or a Justice of Peace
Processing and disbursement of the loan shall be made within 30 days of the application reaching the bank,the bill said
The loan granted to students shall be only for the payment of tuition and shall be interest-free.
Payment of the loan shall commence two years after the completion of the applicant’s NYSC programme.
According to the bill,10% of the applicant’s salary shall be deducted at source by any employer for the repayment of the loan. And if they are self-employed, they will remit 10% of their total monthly profit as repayment of the loan.