WorldStage– Ismail Ahmed, Executive Chairman, Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG) and Electric Vehicles has said that the initiative is expanding transportation support to federal tertiary institutions across the country.
Ahmed disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a One-day Summit of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and Pi-CNG Students Outreach Programme.
The was organised by the Northern Projects Coordination Office of NELFUND.
He said the initiative was designed to ease mobility challenges faced by students.
Ahmed said the initiative had already reached about 20 universities across Nigeria with buses and tricycles to improve transportation within campuses.
According to him, the programme is part of efforts by the Federal Government to complement policies targeted at improving students’ welfare and access to education.
“Right now, we are in about 20 universities, we intend to go through all the federal tertiary institutions in Nigeria to give them buses and other tricycles for them to be able to commute between different places and their places of schooling.
“It’s a major part of complementing the efforts of this government in easing the lives of students especially in their bid to gain education.
“So we are already doing that, we have done that in about 20 universities-the University of Abuja, ABU Zaria, we are moving to BUK, and also doing something with the University of Ibadan,” he said.
According to him, the rollout of the programme is being implemented gradually across the country in line with the federal government’s broader intervention programmes.
Ahmed reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to improve students mobility and supporting educational development through affordable and sustainable transportation systems.
Also, the Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the fund had engaged student leaders from the 19 northern states to sensitise them on the federal government’s education financing initiatives.
Sawyerr, representated by an official in the fund, Umar Muhktar, said feedback would be obtained from 39 student leaders in attendance on the implementation of the student loan scheme.
According to him, the engagement was aimed at showcasing the achievements of President Tinubu’s administration in education financing and other intervention programmes.
“So far, over one million students from institutions across northern Nigeria have benefited from the student loan programme.
“And as far as sustainability is concerned, the president has kept the NELFUND well funded, which means that we have been able to disburse institutional charges and upkeep for students as well.
“In terms of whether it can continue, because of the seriousness with which the president has taken this programme, he has enacted a law, an act of the National Assembly, and then set up an agency to ensure that there is continuity of this programme,” he said.
Sawyerr explained that the engagement with student leaders would help government agencies identify areas requiring improvement in the implementation of the programmes.
He also explained that students whose institutions had closed registration for the academic session would not be eligible to apply until another application window was opened.
“Any school whose session has closed automatically means the students cannot apply for the loan because they cannot register for that session.
“For institutions whose sessions are ongoing or about to begin, the portal will reopen and students can apply.
“It is not just a programme but an institutionalised initiative that will continue even after the tenure of the present administration,” he said.
On his part, the Coordinator, Northern Projects Coordination Office of NELFUND, Samsudeen Ahmed, said the initiative was put together to ensure the northern students benefit from the federal government’s initiatives.He said that the office usually interface with Federal Ministries, Parastatals and Agencies to ensure all the deliverables were brought to the grassroots for the benefit of the masses across the northern states
