The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Fred Agbedi, on Thursday faulted Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu for inviting the House Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, to address lawmakers on a motion seeking a one-year tuition fee waiver for students in federal tertiary institutions after the proposal had been stepped down.
Agbedi argued that the move breached the House Rules, insisting that the motion was no longer before the House for further debate after it had been stepped down.
The disagreement followed a decision by the motion’s sponsor, Ahmed Satomi (APC, Borno), to step down the proposal after consultations with Ihonvbere, who had addressed some concerns raised about it.
Citing Order 8, Statute 1, on the arrangement of business, Agbedi challenged Kalu’s decision to invite the House Leader to speak on the matter.
He said, “We have passed personal explanation, we have passed orders of the day, and Mr. Speaker, you stepped down a motion that was brought by Honourable Satomi, and then, you called on the Leader of the House to intervene on a matter that is not within the order.”
Agbedi also questioned the rationale for the proposed waiver, arguing that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund law already provided a framework for supporting students financially.
He stated, “You cannot bring a motion to amend the NELFUND law. It is not as to how manyp people have benefited or have not benefited. Because for you to ay that the Federal Government should pay school fees for all Nigerians, when you have NELFUND, an Act of this House, that has already prescribed how it should be done, would be bringing a motion to amend a law that was passed and assented to by Mr President.”
He further described the decision to invite Ihonvbere to address the House after the motion had been set down as a breach of procedure.
He continued, “For you to beckon on the leader of the House to discuss this matter that was not before the House was an aberration. It has no place in our rulebook, Mr Speaker.”
Kalu rejected the objection and ruled Agbedi out of order, saying, “You are ruled out of order. You are ruled out of order.”
Earlier, Satomi had told the House that he consulted Ihonvbere, who addressed some of the concerns surrounding the proposed tuition waiver, before the motion was stepped down.
Kalu subsequently invited Ihonvbere to brief lawmakers on the performance of NELFUND since it began operations.
The House Leader disclosed that the fund had disbursed N372.6bn to students and tertiary institutions as of September 29, 2026.
He said N192.9bn had been paid directly to tertiary institutions to cover tuition fees, while N79.7bn had gone to students as monthly upkeep allowances.
According to Ihonvbere, NELFUND had received more than 2.3 million applications, with 319 institutions covered under the scheme and approximately 1.66 million students benefiting.
He urged lawmakers to sensitise their constituents about the scheme and encourage eligible students to apply, adding that the process could be completed online without personal connections or visits to government offices.
The proposed waiver comes amid rising living costs following the Federal Government’s economic reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy.
In the motion, Satomi argued that higher costs of food, transportation, accommodation, electricity and other essential goods and services had made it increasingly difficult for parents and guardians to finance their children’s education.
He warned that students in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education risked dropping out, deferring their studies or facing prolonged financial hardship because their families could no longer afford tuition fees and other compulsory charges.
The motion also argued that financial barriers to education could worsen youth unemployment, inequality and social instability.
While describing education as vital to national development, poverty reduction and social mobility, Satomi proposed a temporary intervention to ease the burden on students while economic reforms continued.
He called on the federal government to introduce a one-year emergency tuition fee waiver for eligible students in federal universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other federal tertiary institutions.
The proposal also urged the federal and state governments to ensure that any relief programme was time-bound, periodically reviewed and adequately funded without undermining the quality, accessibility or sustainability of tertiary education.
The motion was ultimately stepped down for further consultation.
