The National Association of Nigerian Students, Southwest Zone has given seven days ultimatum to the management of Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu to review her decision on tuition fee increment or have the secretariat of NANS will shifted to the institution.
This was made known in a statement signed by the Deputy Coordinator, National Association of Nigerian Students, Southwest Zone, Comrade Oladimeji Uthman.
According to the statement, “It was reported that the acceptance fee and tuition fee was increased from the initial twenty thousand naira (20,000) to forty thousand naira (40,000) and fifty thousand five hundred naira (#50, 500) to One Hundred and Sixty Eight Thousand One Hundred and Ten Naira (#168,110) respectively. This is more than 150% increment. We condemn this decision in the strongest possible term.”
“Until now, we are unable to reason out any logical explanation that may justify such a monstrous hike. We tag this action by the management of the state owned health institution as barbaric, inhumane and unreasonable.”
The Deputy Coordinator further added that, “This humongous raise is coming at a time when obviously the devastating effect of the pandemic is taking its deadly toll on the economic life of the Nigerian masses and the world at large. Many parents have lost their means of livelihood, many have lost their jobs and millions of other businesses have crashed.
Is it not already appalling that education in this part of the world (Nigeria in particular) is too expensive and ironically not commensurate with the quality that is delivered?
If a government owned institution will charge such high amount as acceptance fees and school fees, what is the fate of an ordinary Nigerian youth whose parent are not millionaires? Where is the dividend of our common wealth and democracy?”
He however stated that, “We are convinced that such hostile policy would not make it to approval in an institution that has a recognized and independent pressure group or union. A union that feels the pulse of the persons being represented and is free from control by the decision makers. It is a fact that this irresponsible decision and others like it sails in the institution because there is no functional, democratic and independent Students Union (SUG) on campus.
The caretaker committee of the Students Union that was appointed by the management of the college since the ill motivated suspension of the Students Union Government election do the bid of their appointees without questions, hence, providing zero representation of the interest of her members.
To this end, the leadership of the apex student body in the Southwest Geopolitical Zone, NANS Zone D is giving seven days ultimatum to the management of Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu to review her decision on tuition fee increment or the secretariat of NANS will be shifted to the institution.
Similarly, the statement sought the immediate lift of the ban placed on democratic Students Unionism in the institution asking that issues which led to the initial suspension should be brought to a round table and progressive compromises should be reached between the stakeholders involved.
