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All-Africa Students’ Union Hails Tinubu for Signing Students’ Loan Bill
The All-Africa Students’ Union (AASU) has hailed President Bola Tinubu for signing the Students’ Loan Bill, saying the scheme would be a huge relief to its Nigerian members and a model to others.
This is coming a few days after President Bola Tinubu signed the Student Loan Bill into law, which will make it easier for Nigerian students to access loans to finance their education.
Speaking at a press conference to herald the 2023 African Students Day, AASU President Osikenyi Osisiogu said the Tinubu-led administration must ensure more efficient and equitable use of public expenditure by governments of Africa on education.
This, he said, would help to generate significant room for finding new funding sources.
“We are excited to identify with the haste Tinubu is in to ‘renew our hope’ that Nigeria shall indeed assume prominently her role as ‘Big Brother’ in Africa and thank him immensely for the Student Loan Bill that received his presidential assent,” Osisiogu said.
“We are confident that alternative solutions at the level of innovative financing tools could be found and implemented across the continent through the private economic sector, public-private partnerships which could contribute to the financing of education by investing the majority of their corporate social responsibility spending on education.”
More so, the All-Africa Students’ Union also warned fuel subsidy thieves, Nigeria refineries’ turn-around consultants and unpatriotic modular refineries operators as well as other competitors who are feeling threatened by the coming onstream of Dangote Refinery not to incur the wrath of students in the continent whose future had already been mortgaged by these diabolic rent seekers.
“We are calling on all students across the continent to rise up in one voice and demand for an end to these corrupt practices that are denying us the opportunity to get the quality education that we deserve,” Osisiogu said.
“We are also calling on the African Union to take a more proactive role in ensuring that governments across the continent are held accountable for their spending on education.”
The AASU President’s comments come at a time when the cost of education is rising sharply across Africa. In Nigeria, for example, the cost of university education has increased by more than 100% in the past five years.
The Students’ Loan Bill is a welcome development, but it is only a temporary solution to the problem of high education costs. The AASU is right to call for more efficient and equitable use of public expenditure on education, as well as for the private sector to play a greater role in financing education.
With the right investment, Africa can ensure that all of its children have access to quality education, regardless of their financial circumstances.