Senate passes Student Loan Bill

The Senate has approved the Student Loan, Access to Higher Education Act 2024 after reviewing the report from the committee on tertiary institutions and TETFUND.

Senator Muntari Dandutse, the chairman of the committee, in Wednesday presented the report during the plenary session.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had last week transmitted the Bill to the National Assembly for its consideration and passage.

The Upper Legislative chamber had given the Bill an accelerated hearing by suspending relevant sections of its standing rules and referred the Bill to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.

The Bill seeks to provide easy access to higher education for indigent Nigerians through interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund established in the Act to provide education for all Nigerians.

After debate on the Bill, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the Bill to the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND for further legislative work and to report back in one week.