The Vice Chancellor of KolaDaisi University, Ibadan, Oyo State, Prof. Adeniyi Olatunbosun, has pleaded with the Federal Government to include private university students as beneficiaries in its student loan scheme.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Olatunbosun said that education should be for all, and that the loan scheme should not be restricted to federal government-owned universities alone. 

He also noted that the university has special arrangements in place to help students pay their school fees, such as a partnership with a microfinance bank.

“Education is for all. There should not be any demarcation between the Federal, state and private university systems because we are all providing services to the generality of Nigerians. In our universities, we have special arrangements for our students. We have Micro Finance Bank partnering with us to provide loans for parents who wish to access it for payment of school fees for their children in our institution.

“So, this is another way to meet the needs of parents to be able to meet with obligations of their children without hindrance by this current economic hardship. This will also complement what the government is putting in place. We also have some donors who give scholarships to indigent students in the institution,” he said.

Olatunbosun’s call comes after President Bola Tinubu announced that the government would commence the disbursement of student loans by January 2024. The loans will be interest-free and available to Nigerians seeking tertiary education.

In addition to pleading for the inclusion of private university students in the loan scheme, Olatunbosun also announced that the National Universities Commission has approved the accreditation of five more courses at KolaDaisi University: Nursing, Laboratory Science, Public Health Science, Human Physiology, and Human Anatomy.