By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan
The Renewed Hope Global Virtual Conference (RHGVC) has greeted supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and key functionaries of his government who made the body’s discussions robust in the outgoing year.
The group, in a statement by its Chief Host, Ambassador Joseph Kolawole Adebola, noted that its activities had helped the administration and deepened democracy.
Ambassador Adebola said: “After the initial hiatus in observance of the Yuletide season, we had to have a Special Christmas Edition of your popular virtual conference which, as usual, was another success, thanks to our special guest who, like other leaders that had appeared on our weekly parley, proved yet again why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is widely acknowledged as a head hunter of note and a great believer in human capital development.
“Our special guest, Mr. Akintunde Oluwole Sawyerr, the Managing Director and CEO of the Nigerian Educational Loan Fund (NELFUND), who engaged with us in the special Christmas Edition dubbed ‘Student Loan Masterclass: Why, What and How,’ displayed his intellectual capacity as the honcho at NELFUND and why the agency has been waxing stronger since its establishment and signing into law by the President on April 3, 2024 with a view to ensuring sustainable higher education and functional skill development for Nigerian students and young people.
“At the end of the two-hour engagement with the pioneer MD/CEO of NELFUND, Nigerians who joined the conference from across the globe were enlightened on the activities, challenges and achievements of the agency since its inception.
“Amongst the expose from our special guest is the fact that the system is transparent, and you don’t have to know anyone to benefit from the student loan insofar as you are eligible for it.
“We also learnt that out of the 420,000 that registered, 335,000 students have benefitted from the laudable scheme. Better still, repayment of the loan is not due until two years after NYSC and upon securing a gainful employment as well as the fact that unless you are self-employed, the onus of repayment lies on the employer and not the beneficiary.
“Our special guest added that NELFUND is obliged to provide equal opportunities and access to this loan, and he has put in place measures to ensure the agency provides the right level of support to physically challenged people who would have been disadvantaged otherwise.
“We also learnt that there is no discrimination in terms of courses being funded by NELFUND insofar as such courses have the propensity to add value to the student and country upon graduation.
“With all the enlightenment we had on one of the Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration, which centres on assisting our students and placing them on the right pedestal for a bright and prosperous future, there is no better way to end the 2024 season of our weekly virtual conference.
“We’ve had an eventful year with back-to-back successful conferences with many notable leaders graciously attending our weekly Parley despite their very busy schedules to have heart-to-heart engagements with Nigerians across the globe and offering opportunities to participants who attended with well-structured programme of action that fits into the Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration.
“That our special guest joined the conference from his car whilst on official assignment is another testament to my often-bandied assertion that we have in this administration leaders who are not only easily accessible, but responsive to the yearnings of Nigerians.
“This, therefore, calls for a Merry Christmas wish to members of the Renewed Hope UK and Nigerians across the globe.
“The year, 2024, has been a rollercoaster year of sorts for us. It is packed full of intrigues, scheming, etc, from which we emerged bigger, better, and stronger as progressives.
“The darkness and uncertainty that seemed to envelope us at the beginning of the year, thankfully, gave way to a clear picture of a future full of promises and more successes for us as progressives in the UK and for our country.
“The intrigues and uncertainty of the beginning of the year birthed the emergence of The Renewed Hope Global with its offshoot in The Renewed Hope UK and, of course, the widely popular and much-loved weekly virtual conference.
“We also doff our Christmas hats to millions of our followers who never got tired of watching us across our various social media channels; our participants and those that often post on our chat room with commendations and advice on how to better serve you as well as our media partners.
“Lastly, Nigerians globally are advised to continue to support this administration, believing that the innovative reforms being implemented by this government even though it comes with temporary hardship, they are reforms necessary to lead the country to greatness soon.
“As we are coming back bigger and better in January 2025, participants are once again advised to always attend our weekly conference well-prepared with fresh initiatives on moving the country forward, bearing in mind the receptiveness of this administration to innovative ideas and the possibility of their preparation meeting a rare excellent opportunity at the right time during the Conference.”
