Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU has stated that the Student Loan Bill, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu could send many students out of school.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke stated this while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday, June 14.
On Monday, Tinubu signed the bill, describing the law as a fulfillment of one of his campaign promises. The bill aims to give poor students tuition free education, which will be paid back when the students graduate and start working.
But, Osodeke said the law would affect millions of prospective students who rely on tuition-free higher institutions of learning to acquire knowledge.
He said; “A country where more than 133 million are living below the poverty line and you want to introduce tuition fees? It will be counterproductive.
“Every Nigerian should know what is going to happen next and there may likely be another bill waiting for signature that will introduce tuition fees.
“If the bill indicated that the loan is to pay tuition fees and there are no tuition fees in Nigerian universities, then what is your next approach?”
Osodeke said the bill is not new, revealing how the union rejected it when former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration brought it up.
He added that the union is yet to have access to the accurate copy of the law signed by Tinubu.
“We have said long ago, in 2017, to President Buhari when they came up with the issue of tuition fees, that every student will pay N1 million and we said you cannot put that in our agreement and you cannot use that to negotiate with us and with the nature of the country we have today, there is no way that will work.”
“What will happen is that the majority of students whose parents cannot afford it will pull out of school in anger and you know what that means, they will fight the society back. But let us get the correct information first before knowing the next steps,” he added.
