Let Students Pay It – Lecturer backs FG plan to hike Students Tuition Fees

A University Of Benin (UNIBEN), Faculty of Arts lecturer has backed FG’s plan to increase school fees to N750k

Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Jos chapter, Dr. Lazarus Maigoro, during the nationwide peaceful protest organized by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), alleged that the government was planning to hike tuition to N750,000 per student.

According to the lecturer who pleaded anonymity, ASUU has already tried it’s best for students.

In his words: “Let the students pay. We have fought for them for far too long. What have they done to support us? The government blames ASUU for fighting for students. The consequences of this fight, among others include; nonpayment of our promotion allowance and other earned academic allowances. Meanwhile, our salary has not been increased since 2009. Therefore, it is time to allow the government to run the school the best it can,”

However, education stakeholders across the country have rejected the alleged plan by the Federal Government.

Speaking in separate interviews with The Nation, the stakehoders said any hike in such fees would be suicidal given the situation of things in the country.

Deputy National President, National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, called on the Federal Government to drop such a move.

“Federal Government should not do such now with the increasing cost of commodities. It means the government wants to impoverish average parents, who cannot afford private universities; and parents striving to send their children to federal and state institutions.

“Federal Government should temper justice with mercy and refrain from doing that. Petrol price has just been increased, diesel price is also high. Prices of commodities have doubled.

“Be that as it may, Fed Govt would now propose a hike in tuition fees, that would be totally insensitive.  I believe President Muhammadu Buhari would not want such to happen,” Ogunbanjo said.

Kola Edokpayi, a major stakeholder in the education sector in Benin, Edo State, stated that the Federal Government proposing hike in tuition was an attempt to deny children of the poor to get quality education.

Edokpayi said: “The move by the Federal Government to increase tuition fees in Nigerian universities, in the midst of economic disequilibrium, abject poverty and penury, is a very sad development, and an invitation  to anarchy.”

A former Public Relations Officer at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Mrs. Uche Nwaelue, has advised the Federal Government to drop the idea of hiking the school fees.

She suggested that the government should think of first tackling the issues of economy, salaries and stabilising the price of fuel before taking steps to increase the school fees.

A retired teacher and parent, Esther Ogan, has urged the Federal Government to shun any move to increase school fees of public tertiary institutions, saying it would be suicidal to take such action.

She said: ‘The Federal Government’s plan to increase tertiary institutions’ fees is insensitive, considering the plight of the people, especially at this time when salaries cannot provide three square meals and take care of house rents and other bills of workers. Why will you plan to increase tertiary institutions fees?

“The school fees for federal universities are already high. Thinking of increasing it will force many children to drop out of schools.”

The state Chairman, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Dr. Beatrice Itubo, condemned the plan and urged the government to rather reduce the cause of governance to enable it fix other needs of the country.

She noted that the citizens had gone through a lot and that the plan to increase tuition was a proof of government’s insensitivity to the plight of the citizenry and would be resisted to the last

‘It will force millions out of school’

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CREDIT: ALLSCHOOL, The Nation