The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement, Comrade Sunday Asefon, has said no Nigerian student should abandon tertiary education because of financial hardship, stressing that the Federal Government is creating opportunities to ease the burden on students.
Asefon stated this on Thursday at the Renewed Hope Student Leaders Engagement and Digital Acceleration Programme for the North-East Zone, where he also announced the donation of 25 laptops to outstanding students studying Computer Science and Computer Engineering across tertiary institutions in the region.
He said the laptop initiative was designed to reward academic excellence while giving deserving students access to digital tools needed to excel in their studies.
“Any student who has distinguished himself or herself in the course of study needs to be celebrated,” Asefon said.
He explained that his office had written to tertiary institutions across the North-East requesting nominations of outstanding students in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
“What we are doing is for a student in Computer Engineering, Computer Science. I discovered the majority of them do not even have a laptop. But yet, they still distinguish themselves by leading in their departments,” he said.
According to him, the initiative was targeted at students who had demonstrated academic excellence but lacked the resources to acquire personal computers.
“So, if such a student without a laptop is leading in a department of Computer Science or Computer Engineering, if such a student has access to his own personal laptop, I can assure you that in the next few years, we will have a Bill Gates among them,” he said.
Asefon said the 25 beneficiaries were selected through their institutions to ensure the laptops reached students who genuinely needed them and would put them to productive use.
“We are giving them, like I have said, based on selection. We wrote to the management of their schools, asking the management to send an outstanding student in Computer Engineering and Computer Science,” he said.
He added that the Federal Government was deliberately linking the intervention to academic excellence and innovation rather than simply distributing computers without considering their impact.
“We don’t want to just empower students who do not need that empowerment. We are celebrating academic excellence and supporting students who have distinguished themselves in the course of their study,” he said.
The presidential aide said students who were leading their departments despite lacking laptops often depended on smartphones to carry out academic tasks.
“Some of them who are best students, who are outstanding students in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, do not even have their own personal laptop. Most of the work they do, they do it on their phones,” he said.
Asefon expressed confidence that the beneficiaries would appreciate the value of the laptops and use them to advance their education.
“Having access to a laptop, I’m sure such students will not sell because they know the value of what we are giving to them. And I’m sure they will put it to use, 100 per cent,” he said.
He linked the initiative to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying the administration was focused on creating an enabling environment for young Nigerians to develop their potential.
“The President has said he will make sure that he renews the hope of every common man. He said he will create an enabling environment for every young person in this country to grow,” Asefon said.
Earlier, Asefon said the Federal Government had introduced interventions aimed at reducing financial barriers to tertiary education, particularly through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
“The Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has increased access to education through NELFUND. The Federal Government has taken a historic step toward removing financial barriers to tertiary education,” he said.
He added that students who previously struggled to pay tuition and other approved institutional charges could now access government loans without interest, while eligible beneficiaries could also receive monthly upkeep.
“The objective is clear. No Nigerian should be forced to abandon education simply because their family cannot afford the cost,” Asefon stated.
The presidential aide also urged students to embrace Technical and Vocational Education and Training, digital skills, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship, saying education should prepare young people for economic independence.
“Education is not only about certificates. It is also about skills, innovation, entrepreneurship and the ability to earn a decent livelihood,” he said.
Asefon challenged students in the North-East to take advantage of technology to overcome geographical limitations and compete with their peers across the country and globally.
“Your location must never determine your destiny. Being a student in the North-East should not limit your dreams,” he said.
He urged them to use their smartphones and the internet to discover opportunities, learn digital skills, build businesses and develop solutions to problems in their communities.
The presidential aide also charged student leaders to serve as a bridge between government and students, urging them to keep their colleagues informed about scholarships, NELFUND opportunities, skills programmes and other interventions.
“Leadership is not about holding a position. Leadership is about service, responsibility and impact,” he said.
Asefon assured the students that his office would continue to engage with them and ensure that their concerns formed part of government discussions.
“What we are doing is bringing governance down to the level of the student. We are interacting with them with what we want them to know. So, if they have any issue, they can easily complain to us and we can also find a way of resolving their issues,” he said.