On Wednesday, March 20, the Senate passed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2024. The resolution of the Senate followed its consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) that considered the Bill.
The bill, scaled first, second, and third readings in both parliamentary sittings, became law on Wednesday.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Muntari Dandutse (APC – Katsina South), presented the report during plenary.
The Senate had given the Bill accelerated hearing by suspending relevant sections of its standing rules and referred the Bill to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
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.
The Student Loan Act 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.
