The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) June 23 protested against the over 360 percent increase in school fees introduced at the Edo State owned Ambrose Alli University, (AAU) Ekpoma.
The students’ national body, was at the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council to protest and demanded the reversal of the increment, the sack of the Special Intervention Team (SIT), which tenure is said to expire on June 24, as well as the sack of the acting vice chancellor of the university, Prof Sonnie Adagbonyin.
NANS vice president, Inter campus Affairs, Comrade Vanessa Egheahie, said the Edo State government should revert to the old fees paid by the students before the increment or NANS would be forced to move its headquarters to the university to enforce the reversal as students from poor parents cannot afford to go to school with the new charges.
She said the new charges make AAU the most expensive public university in Nigeria as law students are expected to cough out N741,5000 as against N185,000, while medical science students are to pay N638,000.
She said: “We are angry because the Edo State Government and the AAU Special Intervention Team (SIT) have increased the school fees for AAU students with over 360 percent.
“Those who have right to increase fees are those who have worked to improve the infrastructure in the school. It is quite unfortunate that the state government has increased school fees making it impossible for poor people to go to school”
According to the NANS leader, “What the management of the school is telling us is that, a salary earner in Edo State with just a child who wants his child to study law would have to work for 23 months before he can pay one level school fee for his child”.
She said with the increase, the state government would be destroying higher education opportunities for citizens.
“It is not possible; remember that Edo is a 78 percent civil service state. How can children of traders, civil servants and other low income earners pay this kind of school fees? Edo State Government has told us that they have low education policy and they don’t care if we end up on the street.
She also maintained that the SIT, whose tenure was to end on June24, has failed in its responsibility of managing and helping the institution to source for fund, and so, should be sacked by the government
“The Special Intervention Team (SIT) has failed in its responsibility and we also have the acting vice chancellor that is threatening students that if they cannot pay, they should look for universities that are cheap.
“We keep bragging that we are EdoBEST, this is Edo Nonsense. I want to beg our parents not to pay any charges or dues come Monday. We demand the sack of the SIT and the acting VC,” she demanded.
Also, speaking, the secretary general NANS Zone B, Comrade Isaac Ogieva, said when the new fees were announced, the body went to the school management and pleaded that they should consider the poor ones in the school.
“When the fees were increased, we went to them and pleaded that they should consider the poor ones as many students are the ones sponsoring their education and cannot afford these exorbitant fees. When after school, you will not even get a job, where do you expect a poor parent to bring N700,000 or N600,000 as the case maybe to pay school fees?” he asked.
As at the time of filing in this report, all efforts made by this reporter to get government reaction from the state commissioner of Orientation and Community, Mr. Chris Nehikhare proved abortive, as he said he was very busy with other official engagements.
When a call was put across to the Special Adviser to the Edo State governor, Pastor Crusoe Osaige, he said: “Call the acting vice chancellor or chairman, Special Intervention Team (SIT), Prof. Sonnie Adagbonyin or Comrade Austin Osakue.”
Chairman, Special Intervention Team (SIT), Comrade Austin Osakue did not pick is call when contacted to react to the development.
At the time of filing this report, the phone of the acting vice chancellor of AAU, Prof. Sonnie Adagbonyi was switched off.
