A former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Alhaji Idi Farouk, has commended the Federal Government for the positive impact of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) on citizens.
Speaking in an interview in Abuja on Sunday, Farouk described NELFUND as a transformative initiative that had brought significant relief to students and their families.
NELFUND was created following the passage of the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill by the Senate and its subsequent signing into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Farouk noted that the agency had substantially reduced the financial burden on families and enabled many young Nigerians to pursue higher education with greater ease.
“I never knew about NELFUND until I saw Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, the head of the agency, speaking about the organisation on a television programme recently.
“I must commend Tinubu for establishing NELFUND; the agency needs to blow its trumpet so loud for people especially poor and brilliant children at the grassroots who are eager to acquire higher education to know about it.
“I was highly impressed with this initiative, and Mr Sawyerr gave me the impression that he is a round peg in a round hole because he was on top of his game.
“Most parents don’t know about the agency, but students could apply and obtain the loan without informing them, which is why I think more public awareness is needed to enlighten people about the programme,” he said.
Farouk also pointed out that several other commendable programmes housed within the Ministry of Education and other agencies remained largely unknown to the public.
Also Read: NELFUND Marks First Year with ₦56.85bn Disbursement”
On President Tinubu’s performance after two years in office, Farouk said he would rather assess the President’s appointees than the President himself.
“Mr President appointed people into various departments of governance ministers, director-generals, and managing directors. I would rather evaluate them individually than assess the President.
“For instance, one might not like the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, but you cannot deny that he is one of the best-performing ministers in the Tinubu administration.
“Since Wike assumed office, it feels as though the FCT has never had a minister before now. And when you visit our airports, you can also see that the Aviation Minister, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN, is doing excellently well.
“However, the same cannot be said of the Ministry of Defence or the Ministry of Police Affairs, and I do not even know what to say about the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, given the state of the naira and rising inflation.“When it comes to federal roads, I believe there’s a serious problem because the government is not performing in that sector.
“For example, in Kaduna State, one needs both a doctor and a mechanic one for yourself and one for your vehicle due to the deplorable state of the roads.
“Regarding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, I cannot yet assess its importance to the economy, nor can I condemn it. My only concern is the lack of transparency in the contract award process; it wasn’t clear whether reputable construction firms were allowed to bid openly.
“I also understand why some may criticise the project perhaps they don’t see its benefits now. But, just like the pyramids of Egypt, the benefits may become clearer in the future.
“Recently, my wife, my child, and I travelled to Egypt. We paid 63 US dollars to a tour guide just to visit the pyramids. But when Pharaoh Khufu built them about 4,600 years ago, some might have questioned their purpose.
“Today, those pyramids are a major source of revenue for Egypt. The same may one day be said of the coast
al highway,” he said.
Farouk further observed that while some organisations were positively impacting Nigerians, they were not doing enough to publicise their efforts.
“I think the National Orientation Agency is also doing well. My assessment of these organisations is devoid of sentiment. I simply want to encourage those performing well to continue, and urge those not doing well to sit up,” he said.
He added that the essence of appointing individuals to key positions was to enable them to deliver democratic dividends to the Nigerian people.
Farouk, therefore, urged President Tinubu to conduct a comprehensive review of his cabinet and remove those not meeting expectations.
“I feel Mr President should rejig his cabinet in order to bring in better hands to help him deliver across all segments of his government,” he said.
On the conferment of national honours on some Nigerians by President Tinubu during the recent Democracy Day celebrations, Farouk said it was within the President’s prerogative.
“It doesn’t matter at what point he gives the award. It is the prerogative of Mr President to give awards to whomever he deems deserving,” he said.
