This move aims to support students in Nigeria by providing them with interest-free loans through higher institutions.

The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Umar Sulieman representing Kwara North Senatorial District, seeks to grant interest-free loans and bursaries to eligible students in tertiary institutions.

Suleiman added that the scheme would also ensure the well-structured administration of such loans and bursaries and their recovery.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant to the Senate President, Dr Ezrel Tabiowo, on Wednesday.

The Senator recalled that the Nigeria Students Loan Board, established in 1982 to help undergraduate and graduate students finance their studies within and outside Nigeria, provided loans between 1972 and 1991 to a tune of N46 million.

He stated that the scheme was suspended in 1992 after the Board failed to recover outstanding loans of over N40 million and added that the Students Loan Board was replaced by the Nigerian Education Bank in 1993.

Explaining further, he stated that the Education Bank serves as an intermediary in education credit market financing, which was designed to mobilise private sector resources for funding education.

Suleiman noted that the bill to establish the National Students Financial Aid Scheme also seeks to repeal the existing Nigerian Education Bank.

After consideration, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, referred the bill to the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND for further input.

The Committee was given four weeks to report back to the Senate in plenary.

This was contained in a statement on Friday signed by Temitayo Famutimi of the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate General.

US Mission Country Consular Coordinator Susan Tuller announced on Friday the Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos will make every effort to assist student visa applicants in a timely fashion while keeping personnel and customers safe.

According to the statement titled, ‘US Announces Priority Appointments for Student Visa Applicants’, the Mission said it would prioritise visa interview appointments for Nigerian students well in advance of their programme start date.

“As we continue to prioritize the health and safety of our staff and customers, processing student visas remains a high priority for the US Mission in Nigeria.

“We will increase the number of student visa appointments in May and June to ensure that we can offer appointments to as many students as possible. If your US studies are scheduled to begin this Fall, we encourage you to schedule your appointment as quickly as possible,” Tuller was quoted as saying in the statement.

Tuller explained that all student visa appointments must be booked through the US Travel Docs website. She warned applicants against the use of third-party services, including touts, and fixers who broker visa appointments.

She warned applicants against agents or third parties who often seek to benefit by charging a fee for their services and they may not always provide the correct information, which can harm an applicant’s chances of qualifying for the visa.

“Both Nigeria and the United States benefit when Nigerian students study at one of our world-class educational institutions. To prepare for your U.S. educational opportunity, we encourage you to check out EducationUSA Advising Centers at our American Spaces in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, and Calabar,” she added.