Over 1.6m Nigerians benefit from NELFUND – Reps

The House of Representatives has said more than 1.6 million Nigerians have benefited from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), describing the scheme as one of the major achievements of the 10th Assembly.

The House Spokesman, Hon. Akin Rotimi, disclosed this on Monday during a media briefing in Abuja to mark the end of the third legislative session of the 10th House of Representatives.

Rotimi said the student loan scheme, established through legislation initiated by the House, has already made a significant impact on access to higher education across the country.

“Many of the bills passed by the House are already producing measurable results,” he said.

He cited NELFUND as an example, noting that more than 1.6 million Nigerians have benefited from the scheme, with over N303 billion disbursed as student loans.

The House spokesman said the achievement demonstrates that the National Assembly is passing laws that directly improve the lives of Nigerians rather than merely increasing the number of bills.

Rotimi also explained that the large difference between bills introduced and those eventually passed was partly because several similar bills sponsored by different lawmakers were consolidated into a single piece of legislation.

He added that more than 300 constitutional amendment proposals have also been introduced and are currently at different stages of legislative consideration.

According to him, the leadership of the House is already reviewing its legislative agenda ahead of the fourth session to ensure key promises made to Nigerians are fulfilled.

“We’ve covered a lot of ground, but there is still a lot more to do. We are reviewing our legislative agenda internally to ensure that key promises made to Nigerians are delivered before the end of this Assembly,” Rotimi said.

Also speaking, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business Francis Waive presented the House’s three-year legislative scorecard, revealing that lawmakers introduced 2,747 bills between June 2023 and the end of the third legislative session.

According to him, the bills comprise 57 executive bills, 95 Senate concurrence bills, and 2,595 private member bills, while 363 bills have been passed during the period.

Waive said the House passed 89 bills in its first session, 148 in the second session, and 126 during the just-concluded third session.

He also dismissed claims that lawmakers pay money to have bills listed for consideration, insisting that the legislative process remains transparent and follows constitutional procedures.

Over 1.6m Nigerians benefit from NELFUND – Reps