The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the Federal Government to focus on reducing the high cost of education rather than emphasizing student loans.
Henry Okuomo, the Senate President of NANS, made this call during an interview on Friday. In it, he argued that making education more affordable would benefit Nigerian students more than the current loan system, which presents repayment challenges due to the country’s high unemployment rate.
“We’re unsure who qualifies for these loans, how the application process works, or how accessible they are to students,” Okuomo said. “Many students have faced difficulties in accessing these loans, and despite reaching out to NELFUND, we’ve received no response.”
Okuomo recommended that, instead of offering loans, the government should lower tuition fees at tertiary institutions to between ₦20,000 and ₦50,000.
He stressed that reducing education costs would make it more accessible to a larger number of students, while the current loan scheme, with its unclear repayment terms, may not be practical for graduates struggling to secure employment.
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