Prince Adewole Adebayo, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its 2023 presidential candidate, has criticized the Federal Government’s student loan scheme under President Bola Tinubu, saying the policy is flawed and unnecessary.
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, Adebayo argued that instead of introducing student loans, the government should have focused on making education more affordable for the average Nigerian. He said that if tuition fees and other academic costs were reduced, most students wouldn’t need loans in the first place.
“I don’t support the Tinubu student loan policy,” Adebayo said. “What the government should have done is reduce the cost of education. Once that is done, people can go to school without borrowing money. Even the way they’re managing the loan system now shows poor planning.”
The SDP leader went further to criticize how the current administration is handling governance in general. He said the Tinubu government is more concerned with political positioning and expanding influence than actually running a functioning administration.
“This isn’t a proper government,” Adebayo said. “It’s more of a political movement that got into power. They’re focused on winning over more governors, senators, and political allies instead of solving real problems.”
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He advised President Tinubu to stop worrying about forming political coalitions ahead of the 2027 elections and instead pay attention to the anger and hardship ordinary Nigerians are facing daily.
Adebayo also noted that many of the people supposedly forming coalitions against Tinubu are already close to him. “They’re all friends. You can find thousands of photos of them with the president. The real issue is not political coalitions but the suffering of Nigerians,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the presidency, Adebayo said Nigerians today are not experiencing real governance but what he called an “imperial presidency.”
“What we have is not an administration—it’s a presidency. They haven’t created a working government structure,” he added. “They’ve been in office for nearly two years but still can’t produce a clear, practical budget. That says everything.”
The SDP chieftain concluded that the Tinubu student loan policy is just another poorly executed idea, urging the government to focus on real reforms that benefit the people, especially students seeking a brighter future through education.
