REDUCTION OF FEES IN OGUN: PROTESTING STUDENTS REJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE
Pandemonium broke out today in the city of Abeokuta as students from various tertiary institutions in Ogun State under the umbrella of National Association of Nigerian Student (NANS) Joint Campus Committee, JCC, Ogun State chapter took to the streets in protest to condemn the Senator Ibikunle Amosun led administration for “playing pranks and lying to the public on the reduction of fees in their schools.”
It would be recalled the government had earlier this week announced a reduction of about 61 percent in the school fees of all state-owned higher schools of learning and presentation of 13 new buses to them as well as federal government-owned tertiary institutions in the state.
The protesting students, led by Olasunkanmi Ahmed the Ogun Chapter Chairman of the JCC, NANS however made it known to NigerianEcho that the governor was economical with the truth, hence the protest. The protest which started at about 11:30am on Thursday was meant to correct the impression sent out by the governor in his broadcast that Ogun tertiary institutions’ school fees had been reduced by 61%.
With specific mention to Tai Solarin University of Education and Olabisi Onabanjo University, the protesting students analysed the “pranks” played by the Governor and why such can not hold water with the students.
According to them, ” Students of the State’s Premier University of Education (TASUED) during last administration paid about N52,000 as tuition fees which was increased to N79,000 as soon as this present administration was sworn in. What then is the reduction if Governor Amosun has now decided to bring it back to N65,000?” The student asked!
Again, the protesting students demanded explanation from the government on why Olabisi Onabanjo University’s tuition fees which was N120,000 during last administration was increased to N197,000 and in the recent reduction was brought back to N176,000. The students are of the opinion that government should have done well to reverse these fees back to what it used to be during the last administration if not less, taking a clue from Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state.
In a separate reaction, the Senior Special Assistant to Ogun State Government on Media, Mrs Funmi Wakama said that the only set of student received today at the Oke-Mosan governor’s office are those who came on a thank you visit to appreciate the governor for the reduction in tuition fees.
According to her, the students arrived the Arcade Ground, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan on a solidarity visit, describing the tuition fee reduction gesture as the first by any government in the state while expressing gratitude on behalf of the entire students for the action.
She said the students were led by the embattled Special Assistant on Students Affairs, Comrade Clement Olusegun, as they sang appreciation song for the governor, saying it is no longer business as usual in the Gateway State with the manner the leadership attends to the plights of various groups.
