{"id":20448,"date":"2024-10-15T08:42:52","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T07:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=20448"},"modified":"2024-10-15T08:42:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T07:42:55","slug":"are-southeastern-schools-excluded-from-student-loans-as-claimed-by-facebook-user","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/are-southeastern-schools-excluded-from-student-loans-as-claimed-by-facebook-user\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Southeastern schools excluded from student loans as claimed by Facebook user?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Claim: A Facebook user <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/ib2dzCqur6usdhbP\/?mibextid=WC7FNe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claims<\/a> the federal government&#8217;s student loan programme did not include tertiary schools in Nigeria\u2019s Southeast region.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"132\" height=\"55\" data-attachment-id=\"20176\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/post-edo-election-fact-checks-edo-2024-governorship-election\/false-4-1-11\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/FALSE-4-1-11.png?fit=132%2C55&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"132,55\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"FALSE-4-1-11\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/FALSE-4-1-11.png?fit=132%2C55&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/FALSE-4-1-11.png?resize=132%2C55\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20176\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-d00e4777653fe4a00ca31d48094eafde wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#e72626\"><strong>Verdict: False. The alleged exclusion of Southeastern tertiary schools is untrue, as DUBAWA\u2019s investigation revealed that students from the region were among the scheme\u2019s beneficiaries.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Full Text<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of efforts to improve education in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu <a href=\"https:\/\/www.premiumtimesng.com\/news\/top-news\/604094-nigerian-president-signs-student-loan-bill-into-law.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">passed<\/a> a bill in May 2023 that allows the provision of loans to students in public tertiary institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this year, the government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.premiumtimesng.com\/news\/706186-exclusive-student-loan-nigerian-govt-set-to-pay-n35-billion-to-70000-successful-applicants.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">began<\/a> granting students access to student loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Oct. 1, 2024, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/ib2dzCqur6usdhbP\/?mibextid=WC7FNe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> user, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/ib2dzCqur6usdhbP\/?mibextid=WC7FNe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prince Emmanuel<\/a>, alleged that students from the Southeastern region were excluded from the ongoing student loans programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, the post has garnered over five comments, 15 likes, and 34 likes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DUBAWA visited the post\u2019s comment section and found that some loan applicants believed the narrative to be genuine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Facebook user, Chris Chukwudi, wrote, \u201cEverything that has a beginning has an end.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Condemning the issue, Amaka Goodness, another user, commented: \u201cIt will end one day.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are coming,\u201d said Sunday Aunkam.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having noticed the potential conflict such a claim might lead to, DUBAWA decided to verify its authenticity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Verification<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DUBAWA checked NELFUND\u2019s official <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nelfund?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a> and found a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nelfund\/status\/1831984199743557987?s=46\">post<\/a> informing about the disbursement of student loans to an additional 40 tertiary institutions, bringing the total to 59 schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We carefully reviewed the list and observed that schools from the South East, such as the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Imo State, Delta State University Abraka, Delta State, Ebonyi State University, Ebonyi State, and the Federal University of Technology Ikot-Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, are included in it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdpegDpxak2uXyGyO1gWCi-x3AUFMU-fFvQnKP3nGGHucNCb12b99bqUffSk562KMcRhBj8aAGFfVGxvY3L8m6AtPO40CIDUb_wp1idal5tnOmTH_hQbcrZ2HRBOEBCuurVCYajZFLH7LtDs9tYJifYEfJA?key=GHq30JSg26K4mQt1G8BT4Q\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A list of some schools that benefited from the initiative. Photo credit: NELFUND.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further, credible news outlets like <a href=\"https:\/\/leadership.ng\/student-loan-nelfund-disburses-to-40-additional-institutions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leadership<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/guardian.ng\/features\/education\/nelfund-disburses-student-loans-to-another-40-institutions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Guardian<\/a> reported how NELFUND extended the programme to 40 tertiary institutions, including schools in the Southeastern region.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, we contacted <a href=\"https:\/\/ng.linkedin.com\/in\/zainab-adewale-3a388b204\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zainab Adewale<\/a>, an education reporter with <a href=\"https:\/\/premiumtimesng.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Premium Times<\/a>, who described the claim as&nbsp; \u201cunfounded.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn their website, they stated that the student loan programme is designed to be accessible to all eligible Nigerian students, regardless of location,\u201d she told DUBAWA.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We also checked NELFUND\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/nelf.gov.ng\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a> and found the statement referenced by Ms Adewale.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It reads: \u201cThe Student Loan Initiative is in perfect alignment with the government&#8217;s vision for education to be accessible to all Nigerians.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This claim is false as DUBAWA found Southeastern states listed as beneficiaries of the NELFUND.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Claim: A Facebook user claims the federal government&#8217;s student loan programme did not include tertiary schools in Nigeria\u2019s Southeast region.\u00a0 Verdict: False. The alleged exclusion of Southeastern tertiary schools is untrue, as DUBAWA\u2019s investigation revealed that students from the region were among the scheme\u2019s beneficiaries.\u00a0 Full Text As part of efforts to improve education in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu passed a bill in May 2023 that allows the provision of loans to students in public tertiary institutions. Earlier this year, the government began granting students access to student loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).&nbsp; On Oct. 1, 2024, a Facebook user, Prince Emmanuel, alleged that students from the Southeastern region were excluded from the ongoing student loans programme. As of Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, the post has garnered over five comments, 15 likes, and 34 likes.&nbsp; DUBAWA visited the post\u2019s comment section and found that some loan applicants believed the narrative to be genuine. A Facebook user, Chris Chukwudi, wrote, \u201cEverything that has a beginning has an end.\u201d&nbsp; Condemning the issue, Amaka Goodness, another user, commented: \u201cIt will end one day.\u201d&nbsp; \u201cWe are coming,\u201d said Sunday Aunkam.&nbsp; Having noticed the potential conflict such a claim might lead to, DUBAWA decided to verify its authenticity.&nbsp; Verification&nbsp; DUBAWA checked NELFUND\u2019s official X and found a post informing about the disbursement of student loans to an additional 40 tertiary institutions, bringing the total to 59 schools. We carefully reviewed the list and observed that schools from the South East, such as the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Imo State, Delta State University Abraka, Delta State, Ebonyi State University, Ebonyi State, and the Federal University of Technology Ikot-Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, are included in it.&nbsp; Further, credible news outlets like Leadership and Guardian reported how NELFUND extended the programme to 40 tertiary institutions, including schools in the Southeastern region.&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally, we contacted Zainab Adewale, an education reporter with Premium Times, who described the claim as&nbsp; \u201cunfounded.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cOn their website, they stated that the student loan programme is designed to be accessible to all eligible Nigerian students, regardless of location,\u201d she told DUBAWA.&nbsp; We also checked NELFUND\u2019s website and found the statement referenced by Ms Adewale.&nbsp; It reads: \u201cThe Student Loan Initiative is in perfect alignment with the government&#8217;s vision for education to be accessible to all Nigerians.\u201d&nbsp; Conclusion&nbsp; This claim is false as DUBAWA found Southeastern states listed as beneficiaries of the NELFUND.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"default","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1571,122,437,3812,3815],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[3803],"class_list":["post-20448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check","category-education","category-facebook-checks","category-headline","category-homepage"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-5jO","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":3803,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"mohammed-taoheed","display_name":"Mohammed Taoheed","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/nelfund.jpg?fit=830%2C830&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20450,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20448\/revisions\/20450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20448"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=20448"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=20448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}