No student will drop out of school under my watch, Tinubu vows

Nurudeen Shotayo 11:10 - 19 November 2023

President Bola Tinubu

Tinubu said his government was not unaware of the challenges facing higher education in the country, and it's ready to solve them.

President Bola Tinubu has restated his commitment to ensure that no student would drop out of tertiary institutions because of a lack of financial resources under his government.

He gave the reassurance at the 33rd convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State on Saturday, November 18, 2023.

Tinubu, who was a visitor to the school and represented by Professor King-David Terna Yawe of the National University Commission (NUC), said his government wasn't oblivious of the challenges bedevilling Nigeria's higher education sector.

The President noted that his government was making deliberate efforts to address those challenges, highlighting the student loan bill he signed into law shortly after his inauguration as a step towards the solution.

“My government would not shirk its responsibilities in this regard. We will ensure that educational institutions get their dues to perform their statutory duties optimally. To put this in motion, one of my first actions as the president of Nigeria after my inauguration was the signing of the student loan bill into law," he said.

Tinubu added, “This act will enable indigent students in all our tertiary institutions to have access to interest-free loans, which they would pay back at their convenience in the future when they are gainfully employed. Under my watch, and as I have said in my manifesto, no student will drop out of school as a result of inability to pay school charges.”

For her part, the Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Prof Adenike Temidayo Oladiji, appreciated the President for his commitment to invest in the country’s education sector.