A former member of the House of Representatives Lanre Laoshe has repaid a loan he enjoyed from the Federal Government as a student between 1976 and 1979.
According to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) on Tuesday, Laoshe got a loan of N1,200.
Spokesman of the fund Nasir Ayitogo in a statement said the former lawmaker paid back the loan with the sum of N3,189,217.00.
The statement read: “The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is pleased to announce that Hon. Lanre Laoshe, a former beneficiary of the Federal Government Student Loan Scheme, has graciously repaid his N1,200 student loan, received between 1976 and 1979, with the sum of N3,189,217.00.
“Hon. Laoshe, a distinguished former member of the House of Representatives and a former Deputy Whip, who benefited from the defunct Federal Government Student Loan Scheme expressed his deep appreciation for the financial support he received from the Federal Government during his educational pursuit.
“He stated that in order to determine the current equivalent of the N1,200 loan, he obtained a table of average annual exchange rates from 1972 to 1985 from sources at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“The table indicated that in 1979, the exchange rate was $1.00 = N0.596, meaning that the sum of N1,200.00 was equivalent to $2,013.42 at the time.
“Using the current exchange rate of $1.00 = N1,583.98, Hon. Laoshe calculated that the equivalent amount today would be N3,189,217.00.
“As a result, he issued a Polaris Bank Plc bank draft (No. 14670909) for this amount to NELFUND, marking his repayment as a token of gratitude to the Federal Government for the role it played in his educational journey.”
NELFUND said this act of goodwill and integrity by Laoshe serves as an inspiring example of the impact that government support can have on individuals.
“NELFUND is deeply appreciative of Hon. Laoshe’s gesture and remains committed to supporting the educational aspirations of Nigerian students through its various programs,” the statement added.
