The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has called for the reversal of over 300 per cent increase in school fees at the Edo State-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma.
The students’ umbrella organisation made this demand during a peaceful protest on Friday.
It would be recalled that the Edo State Government had increased fees in the university to between N638,000 and N741,000 as against N185,000 and N216,000 being paid previously.
NANS also demanded the sack of the Special Intervention Team, SIT, set up by the state government to oversee the affairs of the institution, as well as the acting vice chancellor of the university, Prof Sonnie Adagbonyin.
Vanessa Egheahie, NANS Vice President, Intercampus Affairs, said that the body would storm the institution if the state government failed to revert to the old fees, saying students from poor parents cannot afford to go to school with the new fees.
With the new fees, he said AAU has become the most expensive public university in Nigeria.
His words: “Law students are expected to pay N741,000 as against N185,000 while medical science students are to pay N638,000 as against N216,000 for new students.
“We are angry because the Edo State Government and the AAU Special Intervention Team (SIT) have increased the school fees for AAU students by over 360 per cent.”
Furthermore, he said the state government was making it impossible for poor people to go to school.
“It is not possible. Remember that Edo is 78 percent civil service state. How can children of traders, civil servants and other low income earners pay this kind of school fees?
“The Edo State Government has told us that they have a low education policy and they don’t care if we end up on the street,” he said.
Isaac Ogieva, secretary-general, NANS, Zone B, said when the fee was increased, they went to the school management and pleaded that they should consider the poor ones in school who are the ones sponsoring their education personally.