AUI VC Asks FG to Make Student Loan Available to Private University Students

The Vice-Chancellor of Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos, Prof. Christopher Odetunde, has called on the federal government to extend the Student Loan Scheme opportunity for students in private higher institutions. 

Odetunde, while briefing journalists on the forthcoming sixth convocation ceremony of the university, argued that students in public and private higher institutions are Nigerians and are being trained to contribute to the development and growth of the country. 

“Apart from that, it would not surprise you that most of the people from whom the largest percentage of the taxes used in funding the scheme are generated are the parents of those in private universities. When we had a meeting of stakeholders after the conduct of this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Managing Director of NELFUND was there, and I asked him why students in private universities are not benefiting.

“He explained that what the scheme would need to support a student in a private university may be enough to support three in a public university. However, that can be punctured by some facts. One, the government is also increasing fees in its institutions now, through one method or the other. Secondly, some parents are only struggling by showing extra commitment to keep their children in private schools. Also, private schools are helping to fill the gap created by not having enough schools to train the manpower the country needs,” he stated.

Odetunde, who thanked the Catholic Church and the Chancellor of the university, Mr. Femi Otedola, for their support, added that AUI was on the path of becoming a sought-after citadel of learning.

Regarding the need for quality education and learning, the VC opined that apart from getting a degree in a particular course, students should also ensure that they are certified in one special skill or another.

He said new courses and programmes had been introduced and that the next admission exercise would boost the university’s student population.

The ceremony will see 71 students graduating from different departments in the university and 28 others from the St. Gregory School of Pastoral Music.

Out of the graduating students, 11 are in the first class category, and Loko Iyanuoluwa Emmanuel, from the Department of Computer Science, is the best graduating student with a CGPA of 4.91.