Atiku promises student loan review, debt forgiveness if elected president
Former Vice President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to review the student loan scheme and introduce measures that could lead to the forgiveness of qualifying student debts if elected president.
Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday while responding to President Bola Tinubu’s recent criticism of the former vice president’s economic proposals.
Shaibu said Atiku’s education policy would focus on reducing the cost of schooling and ensuring that young Nigerians are not burdened with significant debts because they cannot afford higher education.
He said Atiku believed education should provide opportunities for young Nigerians rather than leave them with financial liabilities after graduation. According to him, the proposed administration would review the existing student loan system and provide debt forgiveness for qualifying beneficiaries.
“Education should open doors, not mortgage the future,” Shaibu quoted Atiku as saying, adding that the former vice president believed the student loan programme should not be treated as proof that higher education had become affordable.
Shaibu argued that students should not be forced to borrow because of rising tuition and other education-related expenses. He also accused the Tinubu administration of increasing the cost of living and education while presenting loans and other interventions as solutions to economic hardship.
The aide said Atiku’s proposed economic plan, known as the Atiku Economic Recovery Plan, would seek to reduce costs, including energy and transportation expenses, which he said affect families’ ability to afford education.
Shaibu also challenged the Federal Government to provide detailed figures showing how its economic policies affect funding for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), while maintaining that Atiku would continue to engage Nigerians on policies aimed at making education more affordable ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
