The Senior Special Assistant on Students’ Engagement to the President, Com Sunday Asefon, has eulogised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for conceptualising the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund(NELFUND) and creation of new universities to change the face of tertiary education.
Besides NELFUND, Asefon praised President Tinubu for justifying his mandate, by approving the establishment of the University of Environmental Sciences and Technology, Iyin Ekiti, in Ekiti State, among five other new tertiary institutions across the country to bolster citizens’ access to university education.
Asefon gave the commendations in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, while distributing food palliative and cash gifts to bout 700 Christians from 13 wards of Ado Ekiti Local Government under the Renewed Hope Food Initiative.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Asefon, revealed that during the Ramadan season, over 300 Muslims benefitted from the same largesse, being part of the ways to demonstrate his respect for religious plurality, balancing and tolerance, among the citizens of the state.
Asefon applauded President Tinubu and his son, Seyi Tinubu, for their solid backing for the students in the country, through education loan and robust scholarships, where billions of Naira had been disbursed to thousands of students to complete their tertiary education.
Underscoring the essence of peaceful coexistence, Asefon, appealed to Ekiti citizens to embrace religious tolerance in alignment with the vision of the President and Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who considered security of lives and property as a prime priority.
The presidential aide disclosed that he had recently distributed 500 free JAMB forms to students, cash gifts to widows and aged, Muslims, and now the Christians, to underscore the fact that all Nigerians are one, regardless of religious inclinations.
Asefon described himself as one of the true apostles of President Tinubu, who believe incurably in welfarist’s approach to governance for all citizens and the fact that the gains of democracy must be taken to the doorsteps of the poor.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has justified his mandate by making education easier for students. There was no president since independence that gave students the opportunity to get interest free loan to attain tertiary education and return it when they start working.
“The President had told our parents not to go and get high interest loans to send their children to tertiary school, but to get the NELFUND that is interest free and pay when the beneficiary starts working.
” It doesn’t require you knowing anyone in position of authority before you can access it.
“Since we got independence, no President had allotted high budgetary provisions to education the way President Tinubu has done.
“The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, is replicating the same in Ekiti. The governor is in peace and one accord with all past governors and political bigwigs as well as other elderstatesmen in our dear state”.
In the same fashion, Asefon showered encomiums on President Tinubu, for keeping to his promise to ensure Academic Staff Union of Universities( ASUU) doesn’t embark on any strike during his reign, saying this has elevated Nigerian universities’ ranking on webometrics.
Admiring the presidential aide for the landmark gestures, the Ekiti State Acting Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Hon. Sola Elesin, urged Ekiti citizens in positions of authorities at the federal level to reach out to the grassroots, the way Asefon has demonstrated.
The APC stalwart said this remains the best way to expand the scope of dividends of democracy and ensure it percolates down to all the citizens, irrespective of where they reside.
“I have been emphasizing it that the APC is not a party of deceit. Let us continue to support whoever that does something like this. We are not betrayers in Ekiti, but this kind of support will go a long way in alleviating the poverty level in the society.
“Let us continue to support President Tinubu and Governor Oyebanji in their quests to make Nigeria and Ekiti work.
“It is our collective duty to pray and back our leaders, particularly when they are working hard to redirect the economy and our socio -political system to the path of prosperity”