Student Loan: House Adhoc Committee Summons Ministry of Education’s Permanent Secretary

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Students’ Loan and Higher Education has summoned the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Andrew Adejo, to appear before it to give feedback on steps put in place by the Ministry and the presidential committee on student loans in implementing the policy.

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Tersee Ugboh, stated this yesterday, in Abuja, while interfacing with the presidential committee, the ministry and other agencies involved in the implementation of the Act.

He, however, expressed displeasure over the absence of the Permanent Secretary despite the fact that the invitation was sent to her three weeks ago.
The permanent secretary was represented by the Director Legal Services in the ministry, Enonebi Azorbo.
Ugbo stated: “It happened before and it led to a lot of disharmony between the leadership and the working relationship between the executive arm of government and the legislature.

“We know that under the leadership of our current president, the commitments and the passion they have shown for the issues that have to do with the education sector and they expect to see form the federal ministry of education.

“And so we are providing another opportunity to come back again, hopefully, this time with more details of what needs to be done, proposed amendments you are suggesting for this students’ loan act so that we can facilitate for you and on behalf of Nigerians.
“So with that being said, the committee will go ahead and fix a date for the summit that we are proposing and will begin to work towards convening the summit where all stakeholders in the country will be invited to make proposals and amendments to the act.”

Earlier, Azorbo said the ministry would harness all powers within its reach to lift the barriers for the smooth implementation of the Students Loans Act.
She stressed, “A committee was constituted, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated in June, and has been working on modalities towards the implementation of the act.

“I will like to say that upon the passage of the act, Mr president setup a command it is housed in the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and they are working on modalities on the implementation.”

Azorbo added that members of the committee included; the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Director-General of the Budget Office, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance.